Summer Boost NYC: City expanding programs to charter students with $50M from Bloomberg
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is committing $50 million to help charter schools create their own summer programs for extra instruction, separate from city's Summer Rising effort.
Bloomberg and Mayor Eric Adams announced the launch of "Summer Boost NYC," a new Bloomberg Philanthropies program that will support summer learning at public charter schools in New York City for approximately 25,000 kindergarten through eighth-grade students who have fallen behind and face significant learning gaps that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For two years, in-person learning disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying social- and health-related effects have resulted in significant learning loss, particularly for students of color from low-income families.
"Whether at a district school or a charter school, every young person should be invested in, and this $50 million investment will do just that," Adams said. "Many of our sons and daughters had disrupted learning during the past two years because of the pandemic and deserve an opportunity to learn during the summer. This investment will give young New Yorkers in the program the chance to grow, to learn, and to explore their talents and imagination. I want to thank Michael Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies for creating the Summer Boost NYC program, continuing to make massive investments in our children, and showing an entire nation how to make our schools work for everyone. With their support, we are ensuring no young person is left behind."
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Bloomberg Philanthropies will be evaluating charter school applications, which begin Monday, and the bulk of charter schools are expected to be approved.
"After two years of school closures and inadequate remote instruction, students across the U.S. have suffered unprecedented learning loss," Bloomberg said. "The harm has fallen heaviest on the children who were already too far behind, especially low-income Black and Latino students. That could have devastating effects on their chances for graduating high school and going to college or beginning a career. Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks deserve credit for recognizing the crisis and taking immediate action by expanding Summer Rising across the city. The private sector and philanthropic groups also have a duty to step in and do what they can to help get kids back on track. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. This summer is a valuable opportunity to make up for lost ground, and we're not going to let it slip by."
A private study from McKinsey found that the pandemic fed the ongoing educational crisis already facing many students of color from low-income families in New York City.
Experts say that unless urgent action is taken, some of these students may never catch up and their future higher education, employment, and wage-earning opportunities will be severely impacted.
"It is essential that every child in New York City has a safe and supportive place to grow this summer," Schools Chancellor David Banks said. "I thank Mayor Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies for their generosity and for helping to lift up our youngest New Yorkers."
Recently, New York City expanded its Summer Rising program for 2022 and now serves 110,000 students in grades K-8, up more than 10% from last year.
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Summer Boost NYC builds on the city's Summer Rising initiative by aiming to support students at charter schools - which 14% of New York City public school students attend - expanding the summer school programs to more than 135,000 students.
For more information, visit SummerBoostNYC.org.
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