Registration for New York City’s free summer programming for school-aged kids opens Monday, providing families a summer child care option that can otherwise cost thousands of dollars.
Unlike previous years where the first-come, first-serve registration created a mad dash for parents to secure one of the coveted spots, this year the city is promising a more equitable system for allocating the 110,000 available seats in the Summer Rising program. Children who attend school in the five boroughs are eligible for the program, including those who attend private and charter schools or are homeschooled.
The program, which offers classroom-based learning and recreational activities to kids across the five boroughs, is by far the largest free summer child care program available in the city, run in coordination between school principals and community-based organizations.
Advocates and parents say it fills a crucial child care need during the summer months, but the program also faced criticism as it got off the ground – particularly over how the limited number of seats were allocated.
The new selection system will prioritize children living in homeless shelters and in foster care, Schools Chancellor David Banks said in a statement.
“This year, with the new changes to the enrollment process, we’re making sure our students in temporary housing, students with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations are prioritized for the program of their choice,” said Banks.
Kids with individualized education programs, those who need to attend summer school, and children who already have a previous connection with a school or community group will also receive preference placement.
The Department of Education and the Department of Youth and Community Development, which jointly run the program, did not provide further details on how seats will be allocated. Families will be able to rank multiple site choices when registering through the Summer Rising portal and will be told of their placements approximately one week after the application window closes on May 1.
“We know that everybody who wants and needs access to free summer programming does not get it,” said Nora Moran, director of policy and advocacy at United Neighborhood Houses, which represents dozens of community groups that help facilitate the program. “We've seen pretty much every year that this program's been offered that there was never enough seats to meet the demand.”
Last year, when the city opened registration for the same number of seats, most sites filled up within a week, Chalkbeat reported. Families were unable to apply once programs were at capacity, according to the education department, leaving an unknown number of families unable to access the program.
The free programming is essential to parents like Cindy Ortiz, who enrolled her son Dominick, 11, in Summer Rising for the past two years. Through the program, he’s attended Broadway shows and visited amusement parks, while also having half-day academic enrichment lessons.
It’s care that Ortiz said she couldn’t pay for out of pocket. When she checked local camp prices, some of them cost up to $3,000 for the summer.
“Based on what I get paid, I definitely could not afford that,” said Ortiz, who works as a program assistant for afterschool programming at Henry Street Settlement, a local community organization that also helps facilitate her son’s Summer Rising activities. “It would've just meant that he was going to have to jump around to different family members' apartments and be bored all summer.”
Ortiz plans to enroll Dominick in Summer Rising again this summer – and hopes he can get a spot. She wishes, though, that the programming provided more of the out-of-the-classroom learning that her son enjoys most.
Bronx Councilmember Althea Stevens, who chairs the committee on youth services, said she believes there will be enough seats to fill the demand. But one of the drawbacks of Summer Rising is that it doesn’t offer the variety of activities that private camps are known for.
“I'm really hoping to see, in the next year or two, us really transform Summer Rising into something that we can offer our kids that we can really be proud of,” Stevens said. “Not just this one-size-fits-all type of camp.”
Another difficulty, Stevens said, is improving the enrollment process to ensure all families understand their options and can sign up at the organizations they know. Right now, kids who participate in after school or other activities at community based organizations may not be able to get a Summer Rising slot at the same spot.
That makes it difficult for organizations to strengthen relationships with families they work with, according to Ronald Cope, deputy director of community schools in the Bronx at Children's Aid, which runs several Summer Rising programs.
“What happens is we lose the kids and the families that we are totally attached to and have worked with all year,” Cope said. “The enrollment process has not been seamless so that we can stay connected to those families.”
But Cope is optimistic that this summer, coordination with the city will mean a smoother sign-up process. And if families have any trouble registering, Cope recommends they reach out to their local school or community organizations for assistance.
“It's extremely, extremely important that if [parents] run into any gaps – if it's language challenges, anything that they need – to work with their school communities to help them with it,” Cope said.
