About Summer in the City (SIC)
For the parents of an estimated 25,000 children between the ages of 5 and 13, finding adequate child care while they participate in welfare-to-work programs has been difficult, especially during the summer when school is closed. These children—and the 2 million others of poor, working parents—live in neighborhoods that lack day care and other programs for children.

In 1998, to help deal with the need for school-age child care, especially during the summer, The New York Community Trust convened a group of foundations and corporations and created Summer in the City. The Human Resources Administration (HRA) and the Agency for Child Development (ACD) joined in a public/private partnership to support expansion of quality summer programs in neighborhoods most affected by the City’s workfare policies. In its first three summers, Summer in the City supported programs for 16,000 children in 15 needy neighborhoods. Last year, Summer in the City made the transition to a year-round child care initiative to assure continuity of care for children and families during the school months. In four years, the initiative has distributed nearly $4 million from foundations, corporations, and individuals.

Two years ago, with grants of up to $50,000, 38 community agencies provided year-round child care for nearly 9,000 children. With public/private support, each of the agencies increased their enrollment and extended their hours, days, and weeks of operation to accommodate the schedules of working parents. Agencies also offered enriched education, arts, computer programs, and field trips that were often linked to academic studies. Grants totaling $800,000 were awarded to the agencies, and some of the remaining funds were used to distribute guides and maps to more than 100,000 families to help parents select summer programs and locate other free and low-cost summer activities.

As important, the initiative broke new grounds toward development of year-round, school-age child care for low-income working families. First, the City assumed increased responsibility for critical operational tasks, including expediting parent’s eligibility for summer child care and after-school care through both HRA and ACD, and paid providers for a year-round session for all eligible children. It is anticipated that more than $4 million in public funds will be paid to participating youth agencies and day care centers. By instituting these changes, the City assured the continuity of children’s participation in programs throughout the year, and expanded child care year-round in some of the City’s poorest neighborhoods.

Also, Summer in the City joined with other public and private child care and education programs to assure continuity of care for all children. Links were made with the Board of Education and neighborhood schools to provide wraparound programming for children attending summer school, which operated half-day for five weeks. With public money, children attended afternoon sessions at Summer in the City sites, and went for a full day when summer school ended. Coordination with The After-School Corporation, which operates programs during the school year, also assured year-round care for its participants by converting several of its programs to Summer in the City sites. Building on the efforts of Summer in the City and other public/private initiatives, such as the Beacon Schools and The After School Corporation, a functional entity now is needed to better link these numerous initiatives, assess their impact on child care needs in the City, and to leverage both public and private dollars to support expansion to new communities.

In 2002, Summer in the City continued as a year-round child care initiative, awarding grants to past grantees, and help them leverage child care subsidies for eligible families (TANF, vouchers, etc.). In addition, it joined with the September 11th Fund and The After School Corporation to provide year-round care for children near Ground Zero, an area devastated by the tragic attack on the World Trade Center. The initiative will also work with appropriate public agencies to create an administrative structure to sustain Summer in the City and other public/private partnerships.

Finally, the City’s Human Resources Administration will provide direct payments, as well as payments for partial day care for children attending both summer school and after-school programs. Agencies participating this year continue to demonstrate a commitment to maintaining children within their programs year-round, including the summer, academic year, school breaks and holidays. In addition, grants will be made to those programs that strive to ensure a smooth transition from summer to academic year including setting up mechanisms to refer children to appropriate child centered and developmentally appropriate settings. When possible, agencies will strive to provide both summer and academic year employment for youth workers. All agencies have a valid license to operate programs for these children.

Grant funds help cover the cost of maintaining staff, improved staff training, and new program components that focus on continuity of care and transition. This year, Friends of Crown Heights Day Care Center Inc. will be participating in a special recruitment initiative to engage informal and family daycare programs and families in special activities and ongoing programming within the agency.

KEY ELEMENTS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND LESSONS LEARNED THROUGH
SUMMER IN THE CITY
Summer in the City (SIC) is a model that offers quality school age child care by providing enriching and safe experiences for children and stability to working parents in low-income communities. Summer in the City also is an exemplary model of public/private collaborations. It is a consistent and sustained effort to pool public and private resources effectively and to jointly develop a coherent policy for children’s out-of-school care. Since 1998, more than 25,000 children in the city’s poorest neighborhoods have attended enriched child-care summer programs that offer extended hours, meaningful activities, meals and well-trained staff.

This partnership has evolved, matured and expanded to accommodate the urgent needs of families, particularly those transitioning from welfare to work. Each year the political and financial landscape has changed, and SIC has adjusted its response to meet the challenges. Entering the sixth year, SIC seeks to strengthen, recreate and promote the best practices that exist within each of the 57 SIC sites, and to examine what we have learned from combining public and private resources to enhance programming for school age child care. SIC, as a pilot/demonstration project, has served as a testing ground for streamlining approaches and strategies, while creating a model of public private partnership to better serve working families and providers.

Key Elements of SIC:

Achievements:

Lessons Learned:

It is critical to:

Neutral Convener: ACT

ACT’s Role has been to provide oversight and management of SIC to coordinate and implement all aspects of the initiative.

ACT’s role will also include:

Public/Private Partners

2002 OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

Harvey Newman, Deputy Commissioner of Child Care & Head Start, New York City Administration for Children’s Services
Kay Hendon, Executive Director, Office of Child Care, NYC Human Resources Administration
Patricia White, Senior Program Officer, The New York Community Trust
Sheldon Plotnick, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Youth and Community Development
Amy Kantrowitz, Deputy Director, Policy and Planning, The After-School Corporation
Brian Morrow, Superintendent, Summer Instructional Programs, New York City Board of Education
Constance Melville, Assistant Deputy Commissioner for the Provision of Child Care Services, NYC Human Resources Administration
Debra Cloud-Marcus, Acting Chief of Staff, Agency for Child Development, New York City Administration for Children’s Services
Elois Dupree, Assistant Commissioner, Program Operations, Agency for Child Development
Fran Phipps, Assistant Commissioner, Agency for Child Development, New York City Administration for Children’s Services/Head Start
Jeanne Mullgrav, Commissioner, Department of Youth and Community Development
Judy Ennes, Coordinator of Special Projects, Child Care, Inc.
Lucy Friedman, President, The After-School Corporation
Mary Bleiberg, Director of Policy and Public Fund Development, The After-School Corporation
Nancy Kolben, Executive Director, Child Care, Inc.
New York City Department of Health
Paula Feinstein, Associate Commissioner, Agency for Child Development, New York City Administration for Children’s Services
Roderick Jenkins, Program Officer, The New York Community Trust

SIC FUNDERS OVER THE YEARS

A.L. Mailman Family Foundation, Inc.
Altman Foundation
American Express Foundation
Banker Trust Foundation
Deutsche Bank of New York
DeWitt Wallace Reader’s Digest Funds
Heckscher Foundation for Children
Helena Rubinstein Foundation
Ida & William Rosenthal Foundation
J.P. Morgan
Liz Claiborne Foundation
Nate B. and Frances Spingold Foundation
NY Life Foundation
Sirus Fund
Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation, Inc.
The Chase Manhattan Foundation
The Clark Foundation
The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
The New York Community Trust
The New York Times Company Foundation
The Picower Foundation
The Robert Bowne Foundation
The Scherman Foundation
The September 11th Fund
United Way of New York City
White Birch Foundation
William Randolph Hearst Foundation
And many donors to The New York Community Trust

PROJECT MANAGER 2002-2003

Agenda for Children Tomorrow (ACT)
Eric Brettschneider, Director
Anthea McLaughlin, Deputy Director
Pamela Rivas, Community Coordinator

PARTICIPATING AGENCIES 2003-2004

Alianza Dominicana, Inc.
Aspira of New York, Inc.
Boys & Girls Harbor, Inc.
Children’s Aid Society
Citizens Advice Bureau, Inc.
Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation
Davidson Avenue Community Day Care Center
East Harlem Council for Community Improvement (EHCCI)
Friends of Crown Heights Educational Center, Inc.
Highbridge Advisory Council Day Care and Senior Citizens’ Centers, Inc.
Latino Pastoral Action Center, Inc. (LPAC)
The Miracle Makers, Inc.
Pathways for Youth, Inc.
Pius XII Youth and Family Services
Police Athletic League, Inc. (PAL)
Putnam Child Development Center
Rena Day Care Center, Inc.
Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, Inc.
St. Christopher-Ottilie
Southern Queens Park Association, Inc. (SQPA)
Supportive Children’s Advocacy Network (SCAN)
United Activities Unlimited, Inc.
United Federation of Black Community Organizations (UFBCO)
United Methodist City Society
Upper Manhattan Child Development & Day Care Center, Inc.
Urban Strategies
Women’s Housing & Economic Development Corporation (WHEDCO)
YMCA of Greater New York – Eastern District
Immigrant Social Services (ISS)