Officials discuss fate of after school funding
Story featured in Northern Valley Suburbanite, Thursday May 28, 2009 Full View Article
By Laura D'Onofrio donofrio@northjersey.com
ENGLEWOOD – New Jersey After 3 officials met with District 37 Assemblyman Gordon Johnson to win his backing during budget talks in Trenton.
This meeting was an effort to maintain funding for after school programs in Englewood. New Jersey After 3 is an extensive network of non-profit run, school-based afterschool programs.
They served approximately 14,000 children in close partnerships with 100 public schools in urban, rural and suburban communities throughout the state.
Mark Valli, president and CEO, and Sebastian Rodriguez, program officer of New Jersey After 3, along with Mitch Schonfeld and Jared Martin of the Bergen Family Center took Johnson on a tour to show him firsthand the structure and elements of the program.
“It is about 150 second- and third-graders. We offer all kinds of enrichment — sewing, chess, sign language, cooking, crocheting, art. This isn’t just a snack and kick-ball afterschool program,” said Martin, who runs the afterschool program at Grieco Elementary School.
The New Jersey After 3 program even has curriculum. Students read books such as “The Chronicles of Narnia” while watching the movie to complete projects.
Valli explained how the funding operates. “We don’t fund districts, we fund non-profits. The non-profits submit proposals, the Bergen Family Center was successful in this and they gained the funding. It breaks down that the BFC has to cover 33 percent of the expenses, and New Jersey After 3 funds the rest, about $169,000. In the past we have received state funding totaling $15 million, over the past couple of years it has gone down. In this year’s proposed budget, there is a 27 percent cut, about $4 million. So we will receive $10.2 million within this budget,” he said. “We are here to show the legislators the value of our program and the impact it has on the local communities. With this cut we will only have 154 spaces for kids than the now 200.”
Valli knows, however, that cuts have to happen. “We have said that we know we have to sacrifice. Our administration rate right now is 5.8 percent. We would rather be forced to make internal cuts than to sacrifice the level of service,” said Valli.
During a visit to the chess room, the officials observed five games going on in the room. “They are learning skills that they don’t even know, but will help them in their academics: concentration, strategy, communication,” said Schonfeld.
In the auditorium, a group of 30 or so students put on a skit using the sign language they have been studying. They were signing their names, phrases and conversations for the whole group.
Toward the end of the meeting, Assemblyman Johnson stated his next moves. “I have been involved with the BFC and Mitch for some time; I know this service is beneficial. The young people learning the sign language, making art with recyclable material, all these show that this program has to be saved,” he said. “It is my intent to make sure that New Jersey After 3 suffers takes a minimum hit during these tough economic times. My goal is to make the cut 5 percent instead of 27 percent.”
He will do this by advocating for the New Jersey After 3 program at the budget table in Trenton. “The young people here are in a safe environment to social and tutor, without this they would have no place to go,” said Johnson.
Kylie Patterson is in the third grade. She offered her feelings on NJ After 3 and what it would mean if the program suffered. “I find this after school program really fun and educational. We do our homework in silence and then afterwards we can play and do activities. I participate in chess, art and sign language. My favorite part is hanging out with my friends. If this program was gone I would feel upset. I would go home after school pretty much doing nothing,” said Patterson.
For more information, visit www.njafter3.org.
E-mail: donofrio@northjersey.com or call 201-894-6705
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