On Friday, June 27th, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker held a press conference announcing the expansion of the “Extended Day, Extended Year” program to an additional 15 schools.
The program provides “free before- and- after school care, and camp experiences during Winter and Spring Breaks, and six-week Summer Achievers summer camps beginning this September.” With the addition of the 15 new schools, the program is now available at 40 total city schools. The following schools have been added to the program:
Anne Frank School
Tanner Duckrey School
Lewis Cassidy School
Roberto Clemente School
James Lowell School
Ellwood Barr School
Delaplaine McDanial School
Edwards Steel School
Francis Willard School
Universal Alcorn Charter
Genera; David B. Birney Charter
Esperanza Academy
Harambe Academy Charter
Wissahickon Charter
Parker said the Extended Day, Extended Year program helped with students stay on track academically.
“Preliminary end-of-year results showed that 75% of students participating in (the extended day, extended year program) met the district’s attendance benchmark,” Parker said. “Last year, 61% of all district students met the benchmark.”
Dr. Allison Barnes, principal of the Vare-Washington School which was one of the schools in the original pilot, described the Extended Day, Extended Year program as “game-changing.”
“For our families, the Extended Day, Extended Year program provides free, high quality child care, specialized enrichment, and social emotional learning opportunities for our students,” Barnes said. “For many of our working families, the daily challenge of securing after-school care, let alone support during winter break, spring break, and summer break, can be overwhelming. With the Extended Day, Extended Year program at Vare-Wahsington, that burden has been lifted for our families.”
Council President Kenyatta Johnson also held a press conference on Friday decrying potential federal cuts to health care and other essential services outlined in President Trump’s so called “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Among the concerns raised by council are extensive cuts to Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), an $800 billion cut to health coverage, introduction of new barriers including waiting periods, blackouts, and work requirements.
According to information provided by council, the cuts could cause Pennsylvania to lose $7.1 billion over the next decade, 300,000 Pennsylvanians could lose medical coverage, and local health systems could be overwhelmed by uncompensated costs, staff shortages, and loss of essential services.
Councilmember Nina Ahmad, chair of the City Council Committee on Public Health and Human Services, called the proposed legislation “dangerous, reckless, and a direct attack on those who can least afford to lose coverage.”
“This bill would strip health insurance for 1 in 5 children nationwide,” Ahamd said. “That is not irresponsible, it is immoral. In Pennsylvania, this means 300,000 people losing coverage, families skipping essential care, and children would miss out on life-saving treatments. Pregnant people would go without prenatal visits, and our hospitals would absorb $7.1 billion (in costs).”
Claire Aiminde, the Chief Nursing Officer, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, said that 85% of the hospitals patients are insured by Medicaid, the highest rate for any children’s hospital in the country.
“At St. Chris, we see 55,000 children a year in our emergency department,” Aiminde said. “In the last four years, we’ve treated nearly 200 children (who were victims) of gun violence, and we are one of only four level one trauma centers in the state.”
Regarding what council can do to help Philadelphians if the cuts go into effect, Johnson said the city won’t be able to sustain the significant cuts that will take place if the bill is passed.
“But nevertheless, we will pay attention to the services we provide to those who are most vulnerable to help as many individuals as possible,” Johnson said.
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