>>> I'M MATT RYAN, MANAGING

EDITOR AND HOST OF "NEW YORK

NOW."

LAST YEAR GOVERNOR CUOMO

ANNOUNCED $35 MILLION IN FUNDING

WAS AVAILABLE FOR SCHOOL

DISTRICTS FOR AN INITIATIVE

CALLED THE EMPIRE STATE AFTER

SCHOOL PROGRAM.

IT WAS SPECIFICALLY TARGETED FOR

SCHOOLS LOCATED IN COUNTIES WITH

A CHILD POVERTY RATE OVER 30%.

WE WENT OUT TO ONE OF THE RURAL

SCHOOLS IN YEAR ONE OF THE

PROGRAM.

THE MOHAWK VALLEY IS A BEAUTIFUL

PART OF THE STATE THAT, LIKE

MANY UPSTATE AREAS, HAS

STRUGGLED OVER THE PAST FEW

DECADES.

ONCE PROSPEROUS PLACES SHOWS

CLEAR SIGNS OF DECLINE.

ABANDONED BUILDINGS, A FORMER

GAS STATION ON THE FOUR CORNERS

NOW UP FOR SALE AND A GAZEBO

THAT'S SEEN BETTER DAYS.

THE CUOMO ADMINISTRATION DEEMED

THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HERE

QUALIFIED FOR THE EMPIRE STATE

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM.

THEY APPLIED IN JULY, WERE

ACCEPTED IN SEPTEMBER AND FIVE

WEEKS LATER, THEY BEGAN.

THE RESPONSE FROM THE COMMUNITY

WAS A POSITIVE ONE.

>> WE HAVE ENOUGH ROOM FOR 75

STUDENTS.

I AM BOOKED AT 76.

SO BASED ON OUR NEED, I'D SAY

ALL THAT HAVE WANTED IT HAVE

GOTTEN IT.

>> THE DISTRICT RUNS THE PROGRAM

FROM 3 TO 5 FOR CHILDREN IN K

THROUGH 8.

>> KIDS ARE VERY EXCITED TO COME

BECAUSE IT'S VERY NEW AND

EXCITING.

EVERY DAY THAT THEY DO COME

HERE, EACH KID IS PROVIDED WITH

A FREE SNACK.

>> Reporter: THE REST OF THE DAY

CONSISTENTS OF TIME FOR THE KIDS

TO JUST BE KIDS.

HAVING FUN INSIDE THE GYM OR

OUTSIDE ON THE PLAYGROUND.

AND CLASSTIME WHEN A CERTIFIED

TEACHER CONDUCTS A

S.T.E.M.-RELATED ACTIVITY.

KIDS HAVE HAD CLASSES ON CODING,

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE AND AN

INTRODUCTION TO KARATE.

>> A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT HAS

HAPPENED.

KIDS HAVE GOTTEN MUCH BETTER

WITH THEIR HOMEWORK.

THE KIDS HAVE HAD SO MUCH FUN.

WE WENT FROM 42 KIDS STARTING

OCTOBER 12th TO 76.

AND LIKE I SAID, WE'RE CAPPED

OUT AT 75.

BUT WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF KIDS

SIGN UP, AS WELL AS WORD OF

MOUTH TO OTHER STUDENTS LETTING

THEM KNOW HOW MUCH FUN THEY HAVE

HERE AT AFTER SCHOOL AND THE

PARENTS REALLY HAVE SEEN A

DIFFERENCE IN THEIR CHILDREN.

>> PRINCIPAL PATTERSON GREEN

SAYS IN A RURAL TOWN WHERE A LOT

OF MOMS AND DADS BOTH HAVE TO

WORK, IT GIVES THEM PEACE OF

MIND TO GO ALONG WITH HAVING

BETTER ROUNDED STUDENTS.

>> THE PARENTS HAVE BEEN VERY

HAPPY THEIR KIDS HAVE A SAFE

PLACE TO BE AFTER SCHOOL.

GETTING SOME HELP ON THEIR

HOMEWORK WHEN THEY NEED IT AND

HAVING A SAFE PLACE, AN ACTIVE

PLACE TO BE RATHER THAN AT HOME

FROM FRONT OF THE TV.

>> THE RURAL PROGRAMS, THIS IS

THE FIRST TIME THEY'VE SEEN

MONEY THAT IS TARGETED DIRECTLY

TO THEM.

THEY PREVIOUSLY EITHER MISS OUT

ON THESE OTHER RFPs, REQUESTS

FOR PROPOSALS BECAUSE THEY MAY

NOT HAVE A FULL-TIME GRANT

WRITER TO APPLY FOR THEM.

>> WHILE THE PROGRAM HAS

RECEIVED GOOD REVIEWS FROM THE

ADMINISTRATORS AND PARENTS THERE

IS CONCERN ABOUT THE FUTURE OF

OTHER FORMS OF AFTERSCHOOL

FUNDING IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET

PROPOSAL.

CHRIS OF THE NETWORK FOR YOUTH

SUCCESS NOTES THE EMPIRE STATE

SCHOOL PLAN HAS AN ADDITIONAL 10

MILLION PROPOSED IN THIS YEAR'S

BUDGET, BUT FUNDING FOR LONGTIME

EXISTING ONES WAS REDUCED.

>> FOR THE ADVANTAGE AFTER

SCHOOL PROGRAM, WE'RE SEEING A

POTENTIAL BUDGET CUT.

THIS IS AN ADDITIONAL PROGRAM

THAT'S BEEN AROUND SINCE 1999.

AND IT'S FACING A CUT OF ANOTHER

$2.5 MILLION.

POTENTIALLY $5 MILLION OVER WHAT

THAT LEVEL WAS TWO YEARS AGO.

THAT'S AROUND 3600 STUDENTS

ACROSS THE STATE.

A LOT OF THOSE STUDENTS ARE NOT

IN AREAS THAT ARE SERVED BY

EMPIRE STATE AFTER-SCHOOL

PROGRAMS CURRENTLY.

THIS NEXT ROUND, ASSUMING $10

MILLION MAKES ITS WAY IN WILL BE

ELIGIBLE TO THE COMMUNITY

PARTNERS TO APPLY FOR.

IT STILL SEEMS VERY HIGHLY

TARGETED.

THERE'S STILL THE PREVIOUS

REQUIREMENTS AROUND THE CHILD

POVERTY RATE AND AREAS THAT HAVE

HIGH STUDENT HOMELESSNESS RATES.

WE'RE STILL FIGURING OUT WHAT

THAT MEANS.

WILL THAT OPEN UP TO A LOT MORE?

MOST LIKELY NOT.

WILL IT OPEN TO SOME MORE OF THE

ADVANTAGE PROGRAMS?

>> FOR NOW, THEY ARE HOPING IN

THE NEXT MONTH THE GOVERNOR AND

THE LEGISLATURE CAN CLOSE THAT

$2.5 MILLION CUT FOR THE

ADVANTAGE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM.

IN SHARON SPRINGS, THEIR GRANT

RUNS FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.

AND ADMINISTRATORS AND PARENTS

ARE HAPPY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN

A DECADE THEIR KIDS NOW HAVE

THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY AND

LEARN FOR A FEW MORE HOURS A

DAY.

>> KEEPS THE MIND STIMULATED.

KEEPS THEM GOING AND THINKING.

HELPS THEM RECOGNIZE THE VALUE

OF ACADEMICS AS A GOAL AND

DIRECTS THEM FOR THE FUTURE.

AGAIN, RATHER THAN JUST GOING

HOME AND SITTING IN FRONT OF THE

TV OR COMPUTER OR VIDEO GAMES.

>> IN NEW YORK CITY, 18 SCHOOL

DISTRICTS HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE

OF THIS PROGRAM, INCLUDING SIX

IN THE BRONX AND 12 IN BROOKLYN.

FOR "METROFOCUS," I'M MATT RYAN.