NYC unveils 'supercharged' Summer Rising program

Friday, March 11, 2022

NYC unveils 'supercharged' Summer Rising program

New York City is expanding its Summer Rising school and recreation program, allowing more than 100,000 students to attend.

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Mayor Eric Adams announced Friday that New York City is expanding its Summer Rising school and recreation program, allowing more than 100,000 students in grades K through 8 to attend.

The program will be bigger than ever, Adams announced at a Bronx school, saying the expansion will make it the city's largest summer program focused on children.

"Our children grow every day, and we need to take advantage of summer, especially given the challenges of the past few years," Adams said. "It's time not just to catch up, but also to push our young people forward. Summer Rising will supercharge last year's program and provide 110,000 students in K-8 with more opportunities to grow, to learn, and to explore their talents and imagination."

ALSO READ | 100K borrowers eligible for debt cancellation under new Biden student loan rules

Navient, a major student loan servicing company, has settled allegations of abusive lending practices for $1.85 billion.

Adams said the Summer Rising program will also extend its hours until 6 p.m., and there will be more program sites.

After some debate about the de Blasio administration's name, the program will still be called "Summer Rising." Schools Chancellor David Banks said parents were not concerned about the name, only that they wanted to improve the program.

"Summer is a critical moment to provide our young people with fun, engaging, and relevant opportunities to learn and grow, and we're thrilled to partner with community-based organizations across New York City to make this the greatest summer yet," Banks said. "In collaboration with DYCD, we're excited to offer families more seats, extended program hours, and more dynamic programming this year. Summer Rising will bring together the best of both academics and enrichment to provide families with a free, robust summer experience."

Enrollment will begin in early April for the free program, which is administered by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development and the New York City Department of Education.

Summer Rising stresses "cultivating curiosity" and a lifelong joy of learning through:

--Activities to develop their interests, build skills, foster conversations, and generate new experiences

--Helping young people feel more socially connected to their peers, caring adults, school community, and city

--Social, emotional, and academic support

The program will build on the support Mayor Adams is already providing New York City youth after his announcement of 100,000 summer jobs last month.

ALSO READ | No more mask mandates for planes and trains? CDC devising new COVID guidelines: Officials