Three out of four children in New York City lack access to quality after-school programming, and the pandemic has deepened inequities in opportunity and access for historically marginalized communities. NYPL After School was created to bridge these gaps and provide critical skill-building and enrichment to children who might not have access to these resources otherwise as a response to the pandemic.

NYPL After School is drawn from some elements of the early enrollment-based model—tutoring and homework help and the cross-generation mentorship between children and teens—but also allows for a wider flexibility of offerings, including STEAM activities, and multicultural and multilingual programming. Branch staff, Teen Reading Ambassadors, and tutors are more empowered to collaborate in order to deliver engaging programs that may be site-specific, but can also be shared and adapted for other locations.

NYPL After School has exceeded its goals for FY22, serving over 1,325 unique attendees, including 86% from public or public charter schools. A post-program survey revealed that 75% of participants visit the Library more often as a result of NYPL After School, and 86% said attending makes reading and learning fun. In response to the success of the program, NYPL After School has expanded to 32 branches for the 2022-2023 school year, and the Library intends to grow to 50 branches by 2023-2024.