August 5, 2024

Dear Families,

Our classrooms have completed summer cleaning. Some teachers have begun to set up their classrooms. Others are meeting away from school to plan curricula together.

The start of school is inching closer. Now is the time to plan after-school.

The window to apply for after-school programs has opened. Apply now to secure your child’s after-school spot for fall. If your child had an after-school spot last year, you must reapply.

Quick Guide to After-School

In 2024-2025, we will have familiar choices for after-school in kindergarten through fifth grade. We’re excited to announce a new pre-K after-school program.

Here are some essentials.

Overview of K-5 After-School Options

For grades K-5 students, there are several after-school options.

Two of our after-school CPE1’s after-school partners pick up children from our school.

Children’s Aid Society walks K-5 students to nearby PS 72, on East 104 Street and Lexington Avenue. SCAN-Harbor brings students to their program at the Lehman Community Center, on Madison Avenue at East 107 Street.

ACT is a choice for families who want to pick up children closer to the west side. ACT is located at St. John the Divine, on Amsterdam Avenue around West 111 Street. Children ride the yellow school bus to ACT; ACT staff meet them at the bus and bring the children inside.

Children’s Aid Society and SCAN-Harbor programs are free. ACT is charges a fee, but offers some financial aid.

The Boys Club of New York, located on East 111 at Second Avenue, has great after-school programming for boys who are at least seven years old. After-school is free. The Boys Club has promised to pick up participants from CPE1 if six or more CPE1 students enroll.

New Pre-K After-School Choice

Starting in September 2024, our pre-K children can go to after-school.

Wildarts After-School offers arts programming for pre-K children from CPE1.  To bring together enough children for a complete program, CPE1 is combining with our neighbors at PS 108.

This new after-school program will be located in pre-K classrooms at PS 108, on Madison Avenue at East 108 Street. Wildarts staff will escort pre-K children to PS 108.

This is the first time in six years that any public school in our area will offer pre-K after-school. We are very excited to bring in Wildarts.

Applying for K-5 After-School

The sooner you apply for K-5 after-school, the better your chances of getting in. Apply now.

The applications for Children’s Aid Society and SCAN-Harbor run through the citywide after-school page of the Division of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) website. At that website, check off the “Youth and Afterschool Programs” box, as in this image below.

To apply for Children’s Aid at PS 72, search for the word “Lexington.” (PS 72 is also known as “Lexington Academy.”)

To apply for SCAN-Harbor, search for the word “Lehman.” (The nearby SCAN-Harbor program is located inside the Lehman Village Community Center.)

To apply to ACT on the west side, please click here to fill in ACT’s application. If your child will be attending ACT, please alert Stephanie (stephanie@cpe1.nyc) so that she can communicate with you about busing.

To apply to the Boys Club, click here.

Applying for Pre-K After-School

To apply to Wildarts for pre-K after-school, click here. If you need help applying, please reach out to info@wildartsnyc.org, or call the site director, Tavella Hamer, at 646.389.0036.

Wildarts may be free for your child.  For help with financial aid, call Pauline Johnson at 646.389.6572. 

Come to the Welcome-Back Potluck

Please circle Tuesday, September 3, on your calendar. That evening, from 5:45 to 7:30, is CPE1’s our welcome potluck.

The welcome potluck gives kids a chance to play together and meet new classmates before the first day of school. It also allows returning families to re-connect, and new families to meet other adults in the community.

You’ll hear more about the potluck near the end of August. I hope to see you there.