NYC Councilman Robert Jackson at Bus Departure as Students, Parents and Staffers Head to Albany to Advocate for After-School Fu

Contacts:
Emily Crossan,
The Children’s Aid Society
– (w) 917-286-1548,
(c) 201-344-5742

Michelle Mitchell,
Coalition for After-School Funding
(w) 212-523-0180 ext. 45,
(c) 917-558-7337

WHEN: 6:15 a.m., Tuesday, February 28, 2006

WHERE: PS 8 (465 West 167th Street - between Amsterdam Ave. and Jumel Place)

WHO: Councilman Jackson, Chair of the New York City Council Education Committee, will be on hand to send off more than 50 children, parents and after-school staff members from The Children’s Aid Society Community School Extended Day Programs at PS 8 and IS 90 as they depart for Albany.

WHAT: These parents, students and staff members will be joining more than 1,000 children, parents, police officers and educators from over 200 organizations throughout New York in Albany for the seventh annual Coalition for After-School Funding After-School Advocacy Day. Over 700 NYC-area students will attend the event. During visits with legislators, the Coalition is calling for:

-An increase in funding from $30.2 million to $55.2 million for the Extended Day/School Violence Prevention Program, which would result in an additional 29,000 after-school slots for young people throughout the state.

-Support for the $7.3 million increase in the Executive budget for the Advantage After-School Program, which would provide an additional 5,800 after-school slots.

**Robert Jackson, parents and organizers from The Children’s Aid Society, and organizers from the Coalition for After-School Funding will be available for interview before the buses depart.**

WHO: Organized by the Coalition for After-School Funding, Advocacy Day allows stakeholders to convey the importance of after-school programs and funding to their legislators. After-school programs provide a safe place to enrich and supplement what children learn during the day, a crucial service for working families.

The Children’s Aid Society was founded in 1853. It is one of the nation’s largest and most innovative non-sectarian agencies, serving over 150,000 of New York’s neediest children and their families with a network of services that includes community schools, neighborhood centers, camps, adoption and foster care services, teen pregnancy prevention, education, health and recreation. For additional information please call 212-949-4938 or visit www.childrensaidsociety.org.