After-School Program Change Sparks Outcry On The UES

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Upper East Side parents and politicians are demanding accountability after the city abruptly switched after-school program providers at two neighborhood schools.

Manhattan Youth, the after-school provider in question, offered free after-school programming including athletics, arts clubs, tutoring and standardized test prep at Yorkville East Middle School and the Wagner Middle School.

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However, the city's Department of Youth and Community Development will replace these programs next fall, as part of a broader reshuffling of after-school contracts citywide.

Parents from affected schools across Manhattan have created a petition requesting information and demanding the reinstatement of Manhattan Youth, which garnered nearly 5,000 signatures in its first week. Parents also organized a rally outside of Wagner Middle School on May 21.

"Why would you take a program that was working perfectly and yank it out of the system for no reason?" Sharon D'Agostino, the vice president of Wagner's parent-teacher association, told Patch.

Councilmember Julie Menin, Councilmember Virginia Maloney, Councilmember Harvey Epstein, and Assemblymember Keith Powers called the selection process "opaque" in a letter addressed to the Department of Youth and Community Development.

"Schools that have relied on Manhattan Youth for nearly a decade were informed, with little to no warning, that their longstanding provider would no longer be returning," the letter reads. "This abrupt transition has created significant uncertainty within school communities, many of which are deeply concerned about the impact a sudden change in providers will have on students and families."

Because principal feedback is a key part of the contract evaluation process, elected officials argued that Manhattan Youth should have been renewed, given its strong support from schools and families.

"Given the broad support from school leaderships and families for Manhattan Youth’s continued role in these programs, we respectfully urge DYCD to reevaluate these award decisions and provide impacted schools with a meaningful opportunity for review and reconsideration," the letter reads.

Parents have also raised concerns that, unlike Manhattan Youth, the incoming providers offer more limited programming.

According to D'Agostino, Wagner's new provider is the New York Junior Tennis League.

"Nothing against this organization, we don't know anything about them, but it just seems very specific to tennis," D'Agostino, whose seventh-grade daughter is currently enrolled in Manhattan Youth's theater club, said.

However, the city is sticking by its decision to change providers, a spokesperson told Patch.

"We recognize that transitions are challenging and that parents and youth value relationships with their after-school providers," a spokesperson from the Department of Youth and Community Development told Patch. "Families can be reassured that programs will remain free, activities will continue to be enriching and safe, and the City and schools will work closely with the incoming providers to ensure a smooth transition."

The contracts with new providers will run through 2032.

On Tuesday, advocates are delivering more than 1,000 letters from students in support of reinstating Manhattan Youth to Menin's office, D'Agostino said.

"The Manhattan Youth teachers were just very involved with the school," D'Agostino said. They were just part of the fabric of the school."

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.