STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8836 IN SENATE March 19, 2024 ___________ Introduced by Sen. MYRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families AN ACT directing the office of children and family services to conduct a study to evaluate the feasibility of providing year-round, out-of- school programming to every child in New York that desires to partic- ipate The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds and 2 declares that providing universal, year-round, out-of-school programming 3 is a public safety and pedagogical imperative. The increased costs of 4 housing, food, transportation, and childcare have prompted an alarming 5 exodus of working and middle-class residents from the state, and as 6 such, the legislature finds that providing a free, safe, interactive and 7 professional environment for every child after school hours, including 8 during the summer, might provide well-needed relief for thousands of 9 working families and communities across the state. 10 § 2. Study. The office of children and family services shall, within 11 eighteen months from the effective date of this act, conduct and 12 complete a study to evaluate the feasibility of providing universal, 13 year-round, out-of-school programming to every child and family in New 14 York that desires to participate. Such study shall examine, at a mini- 15 mum, the following: 16 (a) the costs of implementing a year-round, universal out-of-school 17 program, including but not limited to facility, transportation, labor, 18 and security costs. The study shall also examine the current funding 19 structures for after-school programming, including funding structures 20 for out-of-school school programs, the cost burdens borne by munici- 21 palities, New York state, and the federal government, and how those 22 costs might more effectively be shared in a universal program; 23 (b) per-child pay rates for current providers, as well as the wage 24 disparities, if any, between out-of-school workers and similarly situ- 25 ated service professionals. The study shall also make recommendations on 26 professional development opportunities for out-of-school workers; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD14941-02-4S. 8836 2 1 (c) current accessibility to out-of-school programming, including 2 summer employment and after school programming during the academic year, 3 and whether inequities exist, and to what extent, in access to current 4 programming. The study shall consider socio-economic inequities, includ- 5 ing, but not limited to, racial, ethnic, sex, immigration status, and 6 socio-economic status disparities that may impose barriers to accessi- 7 bility; 8 (d) opportunities for inter- and intra- agency collaboration in deliv- 9 ering universal out-of-school programming, including but not limited to 10 opportunities for the department of education, division of criminal 11 justice services, local youth bureaus, and provider agencies to share 12 resources, best practices, and relevant information to deliver effective 13 universal out-of-school programming; and 14 (e) any other relevant topic areas deemed necessary to assist in 15 delivering universal out-of-school programming in New York state. 16 § 3. Report. No later than ninety days after such study has been 17 completed pursuant to section two of this act, the office of children 18 and family services shall complete a report based on such study, which 19 shall provide recommendations for the completion and implementation of a 20 universal out-of-school program within the state of New York, and shall 21 deliver such report to the governor, the temporary president of the 22 senate, and the speaker of the assembly. 23 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.