Seven Long Island organizations will share nearly $9 million in state grants to increase access to affordable after-school programs for children in areas with the greatest need, state officials said.

The state Office of Children and Family Services awarded the grants through the After-School Learning and Enrichment Programs Support – or LEAPS – initiative. LEAPS seeks to support after-school programs that provide academic assistance, social welfare, and community engagement to students and their families. Across New York state, nearly 240 after-school programs received funding, which will serve approximately 40,000 children, according to the state.

“After-school programs give our children the opportunity to explore their creativity, develop their skills and thrive in a supportive environment,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement Thursday.

Improved programs

On Long Island, programs that will receive funding include the Boys and Girls Club of the Bellport Area, the Economic Opportunity Commission of Nassau County, Inc., the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, Inc., Gateway Youth Outreach Inc., Morrison Mentors, Inc., Project MOST Inc. and West Islip Youth Enrichment Services, Inc.

The Bellport Area Boys & Girls Club said it will use the money to continue an after-school program in conjunction with the South Country Central School District.

The club is looking to increase the number of students attending its program by about 60 to get closer to capacity for 112 children, executive director Kim Livingston said.

To accomplish this, the club is seeking to improve after-school programming by hiring an academic coordinator and increasing access to science, technology, engineering and math learning through robotics, drone games and other programs. The program costs $30 per day.

“We actively work to help them succeed in their studies, giving them the opportunity and access to programming resources that they may not have because their parents don’t have the time, or may -be don’t have the resources to do it,” Livingston said. said.

Serve more children

At John M. Marshall Elementary School, nearly 150 students from kindergarten through fifth grade participate in the MOST Inc. Project after-school program located on the East Hampton campus.

With LEAPS funding, Project MOST hopes to increase that number to 200 children, according to executive director Rebecca Morgan Taylor. The group also hopes to increase small-group tutoring for children with additional reading and writing support, as well as enrichment programs such as art classes or environmental education.

In collaboration with the Patchogue Medford Union Free School District, the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, Inc. will use its grant to operate after-school programs at Oregon Middle School, South Ocean Middle School and Saxton Middle School.

The programs are free and have a capacity of 70 students per site, according to Cynthia Amato, the council’s director of youth and adolescent services.

In Elmont, three Gateway Youth Outreach programs will receive funding to support after-school services at Clara H Carlson School, Dutch Broadway School and Gotham Avenue School.

Each site currently serves about 200 children per day for $450 in annual tuition. The additional funding could more than double capacity and reduce tuition to $200 a year, said Patrick Boyle, executive director of Gateway Youth Outreach.

The funding will also be used to hire a social worker and conduct community service projects that will give children a greater sense of belonging to the places where they live, Boyle said.

Understanding family poverty

Officials with the Nassau County Economic Opportunity Commission, which will use its share of the grant for three sites, said they hope the additional after-school services will help them address the root of family poverty.

“Once we address the academic and socialization issues of our youth, then we need to fit into the family structure and help develop them,” said Sal Bush, director of community action programs at the Opportunity Commission economy of Nassau County.

The anti-poverty agency hopes to open after-school programs at David Paterson Elementary School, Barack Obama Elementary School and Joseph A. McNeil Elementary School, all in the Hempstead school district.

The organization partnered with the school district to identify locations based on the academic and financial needs of students and their families.

For example, nearly 80% of students at Barack Obama Elementary School in the 2022-23 school year would be considered economically disadvantaged, according to state education data.

All three programs aim to serve as interventions that will provide students with academic support, nutritious meals and other developments. After-school staff will include certified family development workers, a parent liaison and social workers to deal with trauma issues, the state said.

The Hempstead sites, which could open as early as the end of November, will be able to accommodate approximately 300 students.

“We seek to build a strong and enriched after-school program that enriches not only the social aspect of children and their development, but also academic success and the development of skills they will need to enter the world and their careers “, said Dr. Ira Gerald, director of the LEAP grant program at the Nassau County Economic Opportunity Commission.

Education: Howard University

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after serving as a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote business stories and spots examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as a race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network in New York, covering issues including criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state’s third-largest city. She also worked at the Associated Press in Atlanta.

Honors and awards: Criminal Justice Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation; New York News Publishers Association Award for Distinguished Investigative Reporting; Reporting contributed to Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.