3 Takeaways in 30 Seconds
- The hearing featured testimony from newly appointed DYCD Commissioner Sandra Escamilla, who expressed her commitment to building cross-sector partnerships with schools, community-based organizations, and philanthropy to ensure that young people have the resources to thrive. She noted DYCD’s recent expansion, noting that its number of contracts—now well over 1,000—has increased at a pace that has strained the agency’s administrative infrastructure. As part of a larger assessment, Commissioner Escamilla is reviewing DYCD’s operational backbone, programmatic capacity, and performance and evaluation processes.
- Committee Chair Althea Stevens (D-Bronx) brings deep knowledge of DYCD programs from her years as a program operator at East Side House Settlement in the Bronx. Over several hours of sometimes pointed questioning, Chair Stevens pushed the administration panel on a range of programs, including Summer Rising, Runaway and Homeless Youth, and Beacon and Cornerstone community centers. She also pushed on NYC’s high rates of youth unemployment, citing the startling figure of 23.8 percent unemployment for Black youth, and cited the need for “full-year programming around employment.”
- In a shift from past hearings, DYCD reported that its Advance & Earn program is fully enrolled this year, with over 1,300 participants. The agency also noted that Work Learn + Grow is serving 6,500 participants with 55 SYEP providers, plus an additional 1,190 through Learn & Earn providers, for a total yearly budget of $30 million. DYCD received a record number of 209,000 applications for SYEP last year.
A Deeper Dive: The Details Behind the Headlines
As NYCETC noted last year in our “Putting Our Dollars to Work” report, DYCD has seen dramatic growth over the last fifteen years. Its funding for workforce programs alone more than doubled in constant dollars between Fiscal Years 2009 and 2024, and the Mamdani administration’s proposed Fiscal 2027 budget calls for another $40.4 million for workforce programs over Fiscal 2024. The Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) and other workforce initiatives combine to serve well over 105,000 participants each year.
With that scale comes expectation.
During the hearing, Chair Stevens and other Committee members pointed to the City Council’s December “report card” on DYCD, which called for an agency-specific strategic plan, clearer and more consistent funding timelines, and stronger communication with contracted providers. Commissioner Escamilla agreed on the need for long-term goals and deliverables and reiterated that her current review is focused on whether DYCD has the right infrastructure and program mix to deliver for the public.
At the core is how DYCD sees its role. DYCD referred to itself as “a contracting agency.” While that’s a reasonable characterization given the bulk of its work, it doesn’t fully capture the agency’s broader influence. Through the design of concept papers and RFPs—and the funding levels it sets—DYCD helps shape the direction of policy in practice. NYCETC supports the Council’s recommendation that DYCD develop a strategic plan, including a clear articulation of the values and priorities guiding how contract parameters are set.
In the near term, the agency is moving on several fronts. The Commissioner highlighted key initiatives, including a new COMPASS (Comprehensive After School System of NYC) RFP designed to stabilize contracts, increase rates, and fund 20,000 additional seats—an effort that has already generated nearly 1,500 proposals. DYCD also restored $20 million for Summer Rising, extending the program day by two hours and reinstating Fridays, and announced an expansion of the Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) program with 100 additional beds.
What Comes Next: Our Take on What It Will Take
DYCD’s workforce division increasingly operates programs in close collaboration with NYC Public Schools and the City University of New York. Following up on last month’s Workforce Development Committee oversight hearing with the Office of Talent and Workforce Development and CUNY, the Committee on Children and Youth should hold a joint hearing with the Workforce Development Committee to examine system-wide coordination of programs and services that prepare youth for jobs and careers. Areas of focus could include how the four entities are jointly planning and sharing information, the administration’s overall goals related to career readiness, and the additional resources and infrastructure needed.
Another worthwhile hearing topic would be the administration’s strategy regarding young adults who are out of school and out of work (OSOW), who number over 100,000 in New York City. Again, this is an issue that crosses agency lines, involving not only DYCD, NYCPS, and NYC Talent but also the Administration for Children’s Services, Department of Probation, and the Human Resources Administration. Suggested reading: JobsFirstNYC, “Economic Mobility for New York City’s Young Adults: Where Progress Meets Persistent Barriers.”
Go The Distance
Read the City Council’s Fiscal 2027 Preliminary Plan Department of Youth and Community Development Budget Overview, and watch the full hearing.
The DYCD section begins at 2 hours 32 minutes. Public testimony begins at 5 hours 2 minutes. A number of NYCETC members testified:
- 5 hours 11 minutes: Kate Connolly is a Senior Policy Analyst at United Neighborhood Houses.
- 5 hours 19 minutes: Micharey Almanzar, YouthBuild Program Manager, NMIC & YouthBuild students.
- 5 hours 29 minutes: Ira Yankwitt, Executive Director, Literacy Assistance Center & NYCETC Advisory Council Member. His testimony warned of major threats to adult literacy funding. New York City currently receives over $24 million annually through Title II of WIOA, but the Trump Administration has proposed eliminating this funding and restricting access based on immigration status—potentially excluding roughly 75 percent of current and prospective learners. In response, the New York City Coalition for Adult Literacy (NYCCAL) is urging the Mamdani administration to invest $20 million annually in adult education regardless of status and calling on City Council to increase discretionary support by $3.5 million.
- 6 hours 36 minutes: Aaron Sanders, Deputy Director of Government and Community Relations, Grand Street Settlement.
- 6 hours 39 minutes: Debra Sue Lorenzen, Director, Youth and Education, St. Nicks Alliance.
- 7 hours 12 minutes: Allison Hollihan, Director of NY Initiative for Children of Incarcerated Parents, Osborne.