This has been a tremendous year of growth for DYCD, made possible by the steadfast commitment of Mayor Bill de Blasio and his administration, elected officials, our community partners and DYCD staff in the development and well-being of New York City's young people and families.

Of all our shared accomplishments this past year, perhaps the most significant was the largest expansion of afterschool for middle school students in New York City history. With an unprecedented $145 million investment, School's Out New York City (SONYC) was launched and the number of free afterschool seats for grades 6-8 was nearly doubled. In the 2014-15 school year, more than 78,000 middle schoolers will have access to high quality learning opportunities, including STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and other programming that are pathways to success for our young people.

DYCD was also excited to announce the renaming of the Out-of-School Time Initiative (OST) as the Comprehensive After School System of New York City (COMPASS NYC). Through its network of providers, COMPASS and SONYC offer more than 800 programs with a strong balance of academics, recreation, enrichment and cultural activities to support and strengthen the overall development of young people from kindergarten through 12th grade. What began in 2005 with an initial investment of $46 million has grown to serve more than 88,000 youth with a budget of more than $260 million.

These are just a few highlights of the year gone by, so we invite you to read further to learn more about DYCD and our efforts to fulfill the Mayor's vision of a thriving and more equitable New York City.

The above RFPs have been released through the HHS Accelerator system to those organizations prequalified in the relevant service areas. Likewise, proposals must be submitted through the HHS Accelerator system in the manner set forth in the "Procurements" section of the system by those same prequalified organizations. Go to www.nyc.gov/hhsaccelerator to learn more.

SONYC: In this RFP, the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) is seeking qualified nonprofit organizations to provide SONYC programs for students in grades 6 to 8 at the public school sites that currently lack comprehensive afterschool services. The only eligible sites are those listed in Attachment C to the RFP: List of Eligible School Sites.

COMPASS: Through these RFPs, the City is seeking qualified non-profit organizations to operate school-based and or center-based COMPASS elementary programs for students in grades K-5. Attached to these RFPs is a list of only the eligible school sites and community districts.

It is anticipated that the term of the contracts awarded from these RFPs will be from July 1, 2015 to August 31, 2018 with an option to renew for two additional years.

The pre-proposal conferences for these RFPs will be held at 2 Lafayette, 14th floor Auditorium New York, NY 10007 as follows:

-SONYC: Additional Public School Sites: January 22, 2015 at 10:00am or 2:00pm
-COMPASS School-Based Elementary Programs and COMPASS Center Based or Non-Public Schools Elementary Programs: January 26, 2015 at 10:00am or 2:00pm

The due date for responses to these RFPs is February 27, 2015, 2:00 pm.

If you have questions about this solicitation please send an email to rfpquestions@dycd.nyc.gov
or call (646) 343-6399.

Citizens Committee for New York City’s mission is simple: to help New Yorkers –especially those in low-income areas– come together and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

What would it take to improve your neighborhood?
Whether it’s organizing a farmer's market, painting a mural, composting cafeteria scraps, or launching a dance camp, Citizens Committee can help make your idea a reality. Apply today!

A significant number of youth enter college scoring low on placement exams and need to take non-credit bearing remedial math courses. In this session, participants will gain a better understanding of what it means to be college-ready in math and what gaps in mathematical abilities youth are challenged by. Participants will learn ways that afterschool programs can be more targeted about helping their middle and high school youth develop their math skills and will share their current practices. Read more and register here. This session is at 10 a.m. on January 26, 2015.

In celebration of Martin Luther King Day, families can participate in an educational scavenger hunt through the New York Historical Society museum. Kids will set out to sleuth around the exhibit "Freedom Journey 1965: Photographs of the Selma to Montgomery March by Stephen Somerstein," matching faces to the names of famous Civil Rights activists. Ages 8 and up. More information here.

Amid all the flight delays and messy streets, we may sometimes forget that winter in New York is supposed to be awesome. (Seriously.) The parks look beautiful under a blanket of snow, and think about it: When is the air ever cleaner than on a crisp winter day? The Parks Department reminds us why we should love the colder months with Winter Jam, its annual winter sports festival in Central Park. Families can expect to learn or take part in snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding; do animal tracking with the Urban Park Rangers; explore the Taste NY Winter Market-or just sip hot chocolate and enjoy the outdoors. If you've got a dog, bring her along: The fest features a new Doggie Snow Zone. All ages.
At the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park 72nd Street (at Fifth Avenue) Saturday, January 24. For more information, click here.

To become a Student Leader, you must:

Currently be a junior or senior in high school
Be able to participate in an 8-week paid internship at a local nonprofit organization and work 35 hours a week
Be legally authorized to work in the US without sponsorship through the end of September 2015
Be able to participate in a week-long Student Leaders Summit in Washington, DC
Be a student in good standing at your school
Obtain a letter of recommendation from a teacher, guidance counselor, or school administrator.

The STEM+C Partnerships program seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and computing by K-12 students and teachers, through research on, and development of, courses, curriculum, course materials, pedagogies, instructional strategies, or models that innovatively integrate computing into one or more STEM disciplines, or integrate STEM content into the teaching and learning of computing. Exploratory Integration Awards include $250,000 for Field-Building Conferences and Workshops. Full proposal application deadline: April 14, 2015.

The William T. Grant Foundation program seeks to improve the lives of youth by supporting small to medium-size organizations that have already had some success, but lack the funds to make needed improvements. The foundation’s Youth Service Improvement Grants program, which awards grants in the amount of $25,000, is open to community-based organizations in the five boroughs of New York City that want to improve the quality of the services they offer to young people between the ages of 5 and 25. Application deadline is March 11, 2015.

The Jerome Foundation provides grants to organizations that support the creation, development, and production of new works by emerging artists in New York City and Minnesota. Open to not-for-profit arts organizations and to fiscal sponsors applying on behalf of artists for the creation, development, and production of new works by emerging artists in New York City and Minnesota. The foundation restricts its program to Minnesota and the five boroughs of New York City. The Foundation requires that organizational applicants have their primary office and operations based in one of those two areas. Support is also restricted to emerging artists who are legal residents of Minnesota and/or New York City. Applicants must have street mailing addresses within the Foundation’s geographic area to be eligible to apply.