After school in Sunnyside, kids dance, practice martial arts and perfect their downward facing dog.
"It gives me the opportunity to learn new things," said one student.
But living in their neighborhood may end up costing them. Faced with a budget deficit, the city is slashing day care and after-school programs. Advocates charge 47,000 seats could be eliminated.
At the same time, both the Administration for Children's Services and the city's Department of Youth and Community Development are restructuring how they deliver programs.
The thought is that in more affluent neighborhoods like Chelsea, residents that live in luxury apartment buildings can afford day care or after school on their own.
But Chelsea still has public housing projects. Critics of the city's new policy said those residents or lower-income ones elsewhere in the neighborhood are unfairly targeted.
"This was deeply flawed because within many of the zip codes that were either non-targeted by ACS or non-priority by DYCD, there are pockets of need," said Gregory Bender of United Neighborhood Houses.
Read the full article>>
