Council Member Epstein Urges Transition Planning and Staff Retention

So I would, you know, would would love to figure that out.

And I appreciate your big willingness to come talk to parents and to hear directly from them, but also hearing directly from the community about the jobs and the staffing and making sure people who you know are working for Manhattan Youth, maybe they can, you know, either stay on with the new provider or whatever we can do to fix this problem.

We really do need to fix it.

I just I wanted to add uh something to that to the principal engagement and to how extensively through this process the superintendents were involved and the principals were involved, but where we are right now, having just announced these awards and and finalizing the protest period is precisely the time when families and young people and principals and superintendents can express what it is that they love about their current provider and how those programs and services could be implemented in the fall.

What they haven't had that they'd like to see.

We love at DYCD, you won't get any arguments when a school community loves their after school provider, that is like the best thing for us.

And we really appreciate the advocacy.

If that energy could be brought to um to the to help plan and coordinate with the new provider, this is what our kids want.

We have a whole group who wants theater.

We can't live without soccer here.

Can you hire with that in mind?

Like this is the time for the school specific, student-specific activities to be negotiated.

And that's what Daniel and the team are going to be engaging with providers in now.

So I hope that the adults working with young people around this will take that opportunity to engage with the new providers to get things off to a good start in the fall.

I I know my time is up, Chair, so I'll come back for a second round.