Testimony submitted
Parents and community members spoke about afterschool continuity, trusted adult relationships, disability access, staffing, and school disruption.
appeal window closes July 3
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This week’s ask
Email your Council Member and file follow-up before the fall 2026 contract start.
Parents have already testified before City Council. Now we need documented follow-up: emails, grievances, public advocate outreach, disability-access complaints, and requests for DYCD accountability before the protest window closes.
Hearing completed · Follow-up pressure active · Contracts start fall 2026
Actions taken this week: 847
After the fall 2026 contract start, the formal window to challenge DYCD’s contract awards narrows. Parents are acting now to demand disability access, public accountability, and impact review before contracts move forward.
Note: Fall 2026 is when new DYCD COMPASS / SONYC contracts take effect under PPB Rules §2-10 — the documented window for vendors and the public to file a formal protest before contracts are registered. It is not the last day to organize, but it is the last day the protest record stays open.
Campaign phases
Phase 1Completed
Public testimony
Parents testified and submitted written statements.
Phase 2Now
Post-hearing pressure
Email officials, file grievances, request accountability review.
Phase 3Jul 3
Protest deadline
Formal contract challenge window narrows.
Phase 4Aug 1 / Sep
Implementation watch
Document school impact, staffing, disability access, transitions.
Campaign window
Through summer 2026
FOIL request
Filed · response pending
City Council hearing
Completed · testimony on record
New contracts start
Fall 2026
What's happening
The free afterschool program at your child's school is being replaced.
New York City is handing the afterschool program at many public schools to new providers — on a six-year contract — without asking the parents, principals, or the kids with IEPs who depend on it. There's a short window to push back — before contracts start in fall 2026.
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What happened
A process that excluded the families and students it was supposed to serve.
DYCD restructured its COMPASS / SONYC afterschool provider contracts across NYC public schools without consulting parents, principals, or the disabled students who depend on continuity. Families learned about provider changes after awards were already made — with no school-specific transition plan and no disability-impact review.
May 2026
School communities learned of afterschool provider changes.
Late May / June
Parents, PTA leaders, SLTs, and community members organized, testified, submitted statements, and demanded answers.
Now
Post-hearing follow-up pressure: letters, grievances, public-advocate outreach, disability-access documentation, and school-by-school evidence.
Jul 3
Protest period closes — formal challenges narrow.
Aug 1
New contracts begin.
September
Back-to-school implementation watch begins.
Parents already testified
Parents went on the record. Now the record needs pressure behind it.
Parents and school communities have already raised concerns publicly. The next step is making sure that record does not disappear into the archive before the fall 2026 contract start.
Questions still unanswered
DYCD has not provided a public, school-by-school explanation of how community fit, middle-school experience, principal input, disability access, and continuity were weighed.
Follow-up needed now
Every email, grievance, and public advocate message creates a paper trail before the fall 2026 contract start.
What families are asking for
Five concrete asks from school communities.
These are the asks parents, PTA leaders, and SLT members have raised publicly — on the record, in testimony, and on the petition.
- 01
Pause implementation of the newly awarded afterschool contracts.
- 02
Restore continuity where school communities are requesting it.
- 03
Release a transparent explanation of the provider selection, scoring, and ranking process.
- 04
Provide schools and communities with a formal appeal mechanism.
- 05
Ensure future decisions prioritize demonstrated middle-school expertise, student well-being, program quality, disability access, and community trust.
Questions DYCD still needs to answer
No school-by-school answers. Yet.
These are questions raised publicly by parents and school leaders that remain unanswered in writing.
- Q01
Why were some schools allowed to keep existing providers while others were not?
- Q02
How were providers evaluated for middle-school readiness and operational capacity?
- Q03
What weight was given to principal recommendations?
- Q04
What weight was given to existing school relationships and community trust?
- Q05
What transition plans exist for students with IEPs, 504 plans, disabilities, anxiety, sensory needs, and other access needs?
- Q06
What appeal or protest mechanism is available to families and school communities?
Why continuity matters
Middle-school afterschool is not interchangeable.
A six-year contract change is not a logistics swap. Continuity is the program.
Trusted adult relationships
Middle-schoolers build their afterschool world around staff who know them.
Safety and belonging
Familiar staff catch warning signs early — anxiety, bullying, withdrawal.
Middle-school mental health
Continuity protects fragile routines at a fragile age.
Enrichment depth
Arts, athletics, debate, chess, STEM, journalism — built over years, not weeks.
Institutional knowledge
Staff who know the school, the principal, and the building.
Family work schedules
Childcare reliability that working parents plan their year around.
Disability access
Sensory needs, IEP supports, paraprofessional relationships, communication plans.
Staff livelihoods
Coaches, teaching artists, and paras whose income depends on these roles.
What the research actually says
Why continuity matters — especially for autistic children.
Autistic children may depend on predictable routines, familiar relationships, established communication systems, and adults who understand their individual sensory, behavioral, educational, and safety needs.
A systematic review of 27 studies involving 443 autistic students found that transitions to new schools were frequently associated with anxiety and increased social pressure. The most helpful practices included individualized preparation, communication with families, and coordination between the child’s former and new schools.
Research on children more broadly has also identified risks when teachers leave during the school year. One large study found that students whose teachers departed midyear experienced lower academic growth, with departures between December and April producing the most harmful effects. Nationally representative Head Start research similarly found that within-year lead-teacher turnover was negatively associated with children’s language development, with suggestive evidence of behavioral effects.
These studies do not establish that every teacher or provider change will harm a child. A change to a safer, more qualified, or better-matched professional may be beneficial. The research supports treating abrupt or poorly coordinated changes as a potential risk — particularly when the departing adult possesses important child-specific knowledge.
When change is necessary, protective measures may include
- Advance notice and gradual introductions
- Overlap or shadowing between the departing and incoming professionals
- Transfer of communication, sensory, behavioral, medical, and safety information
- Continued use of familiar supports and routines
- Meaningful family participation
- Monitoring for anxiety, school refusal, sleep disruption, behavioral changes, elopement, self-injury, or loss of previously demonstrated skills
Important limitation
The strongest evidence concerns school transitions, teacher turnover, and fragmented continuity of care. Direct research measuring what happens to a child after one particular autism therapist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, paraprofessional, or behavior technician is replaced remains limited. A review of behavior-technician turnover found only five qualifying studies, and those studies primarily examined employee burnout, job satisfaction, and intentions to leave — not direct child outcomes. We use careful language (“may increase risk,” “was associated with”) rather than claiming staffing changes “cause regression.”
References
- Nuske, H. J., McGhee Hassrick, E., Bronstein, B., et al. (2019). Broken bridges — new school transitions for students with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review on difficulties and strategies for success. Autism, 23(2), 306–325. doi:10.1177/1362361318754529
- Redding, C., & Henry, G. T. (2018). New evidence on the frequency of teacher turnover: Accounting for within-year turnover. Educational Researcher, 47(9), 577–593. doi:10.3102/0013189X18814450
- Markowitz, A. J. (2019). Within-year teacher turnover in Head Start and children’s school readiness. EdPolicyWorks Working Paper, University of Virginia. EdPolicyWorks (PDF)
- Plantiveau, C., Dounavi, K., & Virués-Ortega, J. (2018). High levels of burnout among early-career board-certified behavior analysts with low collegial support in the work environment. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 19(2), 195–207. doi:10.1080/15021149.2018.1438339
- Gibson, J. A., Grey, I. M., & Hastings, R. P. (2009). Supervisor support as a predictor of burnout and therapeutic self-efficacy in therapists working in ABA schools. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39(7), 1024–1030. doi:10.1007/s10803-009-0709-4
- Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581 (1999); Alexander v. Choate, 469 U.S. 287 (1985) — ADA / Section 504 community integration and meaningful access.
Citations are provided so readers can verify the underlying studies. Inclusion here is not a claim that any cited author endorses this campaign.
PTA, PA & SLT record
Organized concern — not isolated anger.
PTA, PA, and SLT leaders have signed public letters and petitions calling for reconsideration, transparency, and continuity.
This is school-community leadership on the record. We do not claim every PTA or every school supports this campaign — only that organized parent leadership has publicly raised these concerns. If your PTA, PA, or SLT has signed or passed a resolution, send us documentation and we will add it.
Public letters signed by PTA and PA leaders
SLT members raising concerns at school-leadership meetings
Principals consulted (where consulted) raising continuity concerns
Multi-school coalitions organizing across districts
Parent voices
From families across the city.
Stories collected during the protest period. We will never publish your story without permission.
“My son’s afterschool team knows his sensory needs by heart. Losing them mid-year means losing the only place he feels safe after the bell.”
District 2 · Manhattan
Affected COMPASS site
“No one asked us. We found out from a flyer. There is no plan for the kids with IEPs — DYCD just expects us to absorb the chaos.”
District 23 · Brooklyn
Affected SONYC site
“The afterschool program is how I keep my job. Six-year contracts shouldn’t be decided without the families who actually use them.”
District 5 · Harlem
Affected COMPASS site
Share your story →
We will never publish your story without permission.
More than a program
This is where kids find their people.
Manhattan Youth doesn't just fill the 3-to-6 gap — it runs the leagues, the stages, the tournaments, and the everyday clubs where kids discover what they love and who they belong to. Cutting it doesn't save money. It dismantles a citywide ecosystem built over 40 years.
Sport · Citywide
Fencing League
Cadet invitationals and weekly clubs in middle-school gyms — beginners welcome, gear provided.
Grades 5–8
Sport · Middle School
MSAL Sports
Volleyball, basketball, soccer, flag football — the league Manhattan Youth funds and runs across NYC.
Grades 6–8
Performance · Team
Cheer & Dance
Competition squads, routines, and citywide showcases.
Grades 4–8
Theater · Lab MS
Lab Musical
Full-scale productions — Midsummer, Spamalot, and more. Cast, crew, pit, design.
Grades 6–8
Academic · Stage
Spelling Bee
School, district, and citywide rounds. Big-stage moments for word kids.
Grades 3–8
Academic · Club
Chess Tournament
Weekly clubs and Manhattan Youth's signature tournament weekends.
Grades K–8
STEM · Team
FIRST Lego League
Robotics teams that design, build, and compete at regional qualifiers.
Grades 4–8
Daily · Year-round
After-School & Camp
The core program — homework help, art, sports, cooking, friends — 3 to 6pm, plus summer camp.
Grades K–8
Photos coming soon. We're sourcing cleared images from Manhattan Youth, partner schools, and coalition families — not pulling from social media without permission. If you're a parent, coach, or staff member with photos you'd like to contribute, send them here.
Schools affected
A growing community-reported record.
Community-reported, updated weekly. This list is built from parent, principal, PTA, and SLT reports. If a school is missing or a status is wrong, tell us with documentation — we update weekly.
PS 199M
D3
Displaced Goddard Riverside
Incoming TBA
PS 124M
D2
Displaced Chinese-American Planning Council
Incoming New vendor
MS 51K
D15
Displaced Mark Morris / partners
Incoming Unassigned
PS 197K
D17
Displaced Local CBO
Incoming TBA
PS 84M
D3
Displaced Goddard Riverside
Incoming New vendor
MS 256M
D3
Displaced Local CBO
Incoming TBA
PS 41M
D2
Displaced Greenwich House
Incoming New vendor
PS 282K
D13
Displaced Local CBO
Incoming Unassigned
Officials accountability tracker
Who has answered the call — and who hasn’t.
Statuses are based on documented public statements, written replies, or logged parent outreach. The board moves only when parents report back — if you've heard from an official, tell us so the public record updates.
Heard back from your Council Member, the Speaker, or the Public Advocate? Send us the reply (or the silence) so the tracker reflects reality.
Report an official response →City Council leadership
City Council Speaker
Public position needed on COMPASS / SONYC awards.
City Council
Chair, Children & Youth Committee
Asked to request DYCD review and school-by-school transition plans.
City Council
Chair, Education Committee
Asked to support school-by-school transition plans.
Citywide oversight
Public Advocate
Office accepts parent complaints — public position needed.
Contract registration
Comptroller
Asked to scrutinize contract registrations before they finalize.
Your district
Your Council Member
Constituent letters create the documented paper trail before the fall 2026 contract start.
How to read this site
What's verified — and what's still being confirmed.
This is a parent-led volunteer campaign. Until DYCD releases the full incumbent-to-awardee crosswalk, no public list of affected schools or providers is complete. Every record on this site is labeled at one of four levels so you can read it accurately.
Verified
Confirmed in public records, official statements, or by the named organization directly.
Reported
Reported by parents, workers, or providers; we are working to confirm with the source.
Awaiting Confirmation
Identified in petitions or press coverage; pending direct confirmation from the school or provider.
Legal Review Pending
Legal questions parents are raising; not a filed case and not yet reviewed by counsel.
See an error or missing record? dycdparentaction@gmail.com
6,400+
petition signatures
847
actions logged
––
days to appeal window
––
days to fall 2026 start
Petition momentum
The public record is already large. Keep adding to it.
Numbers below are a manually recorded snapshot of the public Change.org petition (June 2026). The action count below reflects letters sent through this site only. Verify current numbers on Change.org.
6,400+
petition signatures
847
actions logged here
4
press outlets covering
Actions logged on this site: 847
Press & documentation
Receipts. On the record.
Coverage and source documents for journalists, researchers, and parents who want to verify everything we’ve published.