The Binghamton Central School District has been awarded a $29 million grant from the New York State Office of Child and Family Services. They will receive $577,000 each year for the next five years in order to provide long-term afterschool programming to more than 400 students from Kindergarten through Seniors in high school.

"We know that when we're able to support our students outside of the school day as well as throughout the summer months, they will succeed both academically as well as socially, emotionally, and physically," said Tonia Thompson, Binghamton Central School District Superintendent.

We have been very successful at getting money into communities that experience high levels of poverty through the Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative, which has also targeted the City of Binghamton and the surrounding urban areas.

— Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo

The grant is funded by a $35 million appropriation in the 2018 State Budget, which helps "high-needs" schools.

"The $35 million dollars is targeting some of the poorest communities in the state," said Lupardo.

The Binghamton program will focus on sustainability and will consist of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) related activities. The day-to-day operations will be run by district staff, high school students, and the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County.

"You're going to see young people engaging in a variety of activities every day after school, which accentuates what's happening in the classroom," said Victoria Giarratano, Cornell Cooperative Extension Executive Director.

Organizers say the program will begin shortly and take place over the course of the next 30 weeks plus four weeks during the summer.