Recommendations from more than 270 practitioners arrive as the Commission prepares its roadmap
NEW YORK, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Collaborative for Advancing Youth Development (CAYD) today released Investing in the Workforce to Sustain and Expand Youth Services in NYC, a set of recommendations from the youth development field on what it will take to staff the city's expansion of after-school programming. The report responds directly to the NYC Commission on Universal After-School's interim report and its call to build and support a sustainable talent pipeline.
The recommendations emerged from CAYD's State of the Sector convening on April 14, 2026, at the CUNY Graduate Center, where more than 270 youth development professionals, nonprofit leaders, educators, and advocates gathered. NYC Department of Youth and Community Development Commissioner Sandra Escamilla-Davies closed the convening, hearing the field's initial recommendations firsthand.
The report's central finding is that the field's practice is strong, but the conditions surrounding it are not. Participants described a profession built on trust, creativity, and deep community relationships, yet constrained by part-time roles without benefits, staffing shortages, compliance burdens, and year-to-year contracting. Without meaningful improvements in job quality, the report warns, New York City will not have the workforce needed to fulfill the promise of its universal after-school plan, which calls for enrolling 20,000 additional students by 2027.
"Universal after-school depends on a stable, supported workforce," said NYC Department of Youth and Community Development Commissioner Sandra Escamilla-Davies. "Youth development professionals are at the heart of creating safe and engaging spaces where young people can learn, grow and thrive. We are grateful for our partnership with the Collaborative for Advancing Youth Development (CAYD) and for the insights shared by practitioners across the field. Their expertise is critical as we continue working to strengthen New York City's youth development workforce and expand high-quality opportunities for the city's children and families."
The report organizes its recommendations into two parts:
- Quick Wins are steps organizations can take immediately with little or no new funding: stronger onboarding in a new hire's first 90 days, clear career maps, staff voice in decision-making, and peer-led learning.
- Systems Investments and Structural Change names what only the city and its partners can do: a city-led recruitment strategy with centralized hiring and clearance systems; career pipelines through high schools, CUNY, SUNY, and SYEP; portable, recognized credentials; coordinated action across DYCD, NYC Public Schools, DOHMH, and OCFS to reduce duplicative administrative requirements; increased compensation, city-funded healthcare and retirement supports, more full-time roles, and stable contracting.
"Since 2017, this convening has brought the field together to make the realities of youth development work visible and turn shared understanding into action. This year was no exception: participants didn't just name the challenges facing our workforce, they built concrete blueprints for a more sustainable system, grounded in their own expertise and lived experience," said Kim Sabo Flores, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Hello Insight. "We're deeply grateful to them, and to everyone who has contributed to this work over the years. We're also grateful for the City's continued investment in this work and its commitment to After-School for All, and we look forward to partnering on what comes next."
"What stands out about this moment is the alignment. The city has made a serious commitment to after-school, and the field has answered with clear, practical recommendations for the workforce that will make that expansion possible. We brought practitioners and nonprofit leaders to the table because the people doing the work should shape the agenda, and these recommendations reflect that. A stronger, more sustainable workforce is how the city's investment becomes a real opportunity for every young New Yorker," said Marc Fernandes, senior director of programs at Youth INC.
Click here to read the full report.
About the Collaborative for Advancing Youth Development (CAYD)
The Collaborative for Advancing Youth Development (CAYD) is a partnership driven by a shared mission to strengthen and amplify the impact of youth development across New York City. CAYD's partners are Change Impact, the Youth Studies Program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies, ExpandED Schools, Hello Insight, the New York State Network for Youth Success, PASE, and Youth INC.
Media Contact
Krystalle Shoy, Youth INC, 1 2024223841, [email protected], Youth INC
Manuela García, Hello Insight, [email protected], https://helloinsight.org
SOURCE Collaborative for Advancing Youth Development
Share this article