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About NIA After-School

NIA works together with schools to provide students with 35% more learning time, along with helping youth develop the social emotional skill-sets and leadership skills needed to prepare them for future careers.

Providing programs that include extra time for help with homework, performing and visual arts, physical education, and more enables us to close the opportunity gap that many students face. Creating a seamless day between traditional school and our after-school programs enhances learning, and supports social and emotional growth in our participants.

  • NIA fosters holistic youth development through programs that enhance emotional, social, academic, creative, and physical growth. Guided by positive youth development principles, our activities empower students to build skills and take an active role in program design. We offer comprehensive in-school, ExpandEd day, and after-school services, featuring enrichment in arts, science, literacy, sports, leadership, and community building.

  • NIA takes pride in its ability to deliver high quality, high impact programs that have a clearly defined purpose. Key elements of all our after school programs include a range of age appropriate activities, and hands-on projects. Our well-trained staff makes sure that there's a strong connection between the program, the school day, and home in a fun and structured environment.

  • We value our solid partnerships with the schools we serve through numerous initiatives including New York City's Comprehensive After-School System of NYC (COMPASS) that helps young people build knowledge, skills and self-confidence, and nurtures their aspirations through a variety of high quality enrichment opportunities. Through open communication, we aim to provide each of our partners with specific support services that align with their school’s focus, or programs and activities that they may not otherwise be able to offer their students.

  • NIA creates a strong support system that nurtures students' social and emotional well-being. Our programs equip students with essential skills like empathy, self-awareness, and emotional regulation, helping them build resilience and meaningful connections. By addressing both academic and personal growth, we prepare students to navigate challenges with confidence and thrive in their future workplaces and communities.

Program Activities

STEM

We have emphasized STEM in our after-school programs for over 10 years. STEM activities cover various content including our Annual STEM Fair, Science Olympiad Team, hydroponic gardening, robotics, and much more.

Literacy

For over a decade, NIA has been supporting literacy development in schools in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. We foster a love of reading and build students' literacy skills year-round through the use of the Ready Readers and Rising Readers curriculum and in partnership with ExpandED Schools.

Academic Support

Beyond regular homework assistance, many of our sites offer tailored test preparation and specialized services designed to meet the unique needs of each school and community. We are committed to implementing educational best practices while addressing the evolving needs of our school partners and communities.

Sports

Each year, we offer more than 420 hours of physical activity to over 8,000 students. This includes opportunities to participate in intramural sports leagues for basketball and soccer.

Visual Arts

Each year, we offer over 220 days of instruction in dance, step, musical theater, chorus, drama, and improv. Students put on over 65 performances a year and enjoy having a platform to share their talents.

Performing Arts

Students participate in drawing, painting, photography, animation, and film-making activities. These enhance students’ creative thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and decision-making skills.

Make a difference.

Support our mission by donating.

“The opportunity to leave feeling special with lasting memories of their time spent with opportunities to gain new experiences, develop new skills, and build lasting memories of their time .”

— Annette Velez, NIA Executive Director

Education Initiatives

  • NIA's Annual Read Out Loud campaign brings children’s book authors and illustrators into classrooms, creating meaningful connections that inspire creativity and a lifelong passion for learning. Through the initiative, NIA is able to distribute 10,000+ new books annually, helping to build home libraries and foster a love of reading,  establish and expand school libraries, and expand literacy programming throughout our program sites.

  • Our Family Literacy Nights bring students and their families together to celebrate reading and learning. These special events feature read-aloud sessions, author visits, and opportunities for students and their families to participate in extension activities together. With refreshments, giveaways, and free books, they create a shared learning experience that strengthens family and school connections.

  • At NIA, we believe in the power of collaboration and connection, which is why we actively encourage multi-site crossover events between our programs. These events are designed to foster interaction among our diverse student body, ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade. By bringing together students from different locations, we create a vibrant environment where they can meet new friends, share ideas, and draw inspiration from one another. This exchange of experiences not only enhances their learning but also cultivates a sense of community that enriches their educational journey. NIA programs from multiple sites come together for our annual Art Show, STEM Fair, “NIA Cup” Field Day, Dance Festival, collaborative field trips, NIA Craft Show, Youth Leadership Summit and more.

  • ExpandED Schools envisions an equitable, publicly funded system of school-community partnerships to help all New York City children thrive. For over a decade, NIA has supported this vision in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island schools by promoting literacy development. Through the Ready Readers and Rising Readers curriculum, in partnership with ExpandED Schools, we offer interactive read-alouds, book clubs, and hands-on projects that enhance vocabulary, critical thinking, and real-world connections to literature for elementary and middle school youth.  NIA is also pleased to provide early literacy initiatives for children ages 3 and under through our parent/child Learn & Play series.

Summer Camp

We offer free summer day camps that provide a safe, fun, and educational setting for children. Summer Camp activities include a variety of visual and performing arts, STEM, physical education, active play, leadership, field trips, and much more!

*Funded by the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development and operate in partnership with the NYC Department of Education as part of the Summer Rising initiative. Registration and selection decisions are managed centrally by NYC.

NIA School Partners

Carey Gardens Cornerstone

PS/IS 30 Mary White Ovington School

PS 52R John C. Thompson School

PS/IS 95 The Gravesend School

PS/IS 104 The Fort Hamilton School

PS 114 Belle Harbor School

PS/IS 121 Nelson A. Rockefeller School

PS 134 Henrietta Szold School

PS 176 The Ovington School

PS 179 Kensington School

PS 185 Walter Kassenbrock School

PS 186 Irving A. Gladstone

PS 199 Frederick Wachtel School

PS 204 Vince Lombardi School

PS 212 The Lady Deborah Moody School

PS 216 Arturo Toscanini School

PS/IS 229 Dyker School

PS 247 College Partnership School

PS 295 Studio School of Arts & Culture

PS 331 Detective Wenjian Liu School of Civics and Entrepreneurship

PS 482 Albee Square Montessori

PS 627 Brighter Choice Community School

PS 682 The Academy of Talented Scholars

PS/IS 686 The Brooklyn School of Inquiry

PS 705 Brooklyn Arts & Science

PS 889

IS 98 Bay Academy

IS 187 Christa McAuliffe School

IS 192 The Linden School

JHS 227 Edward B. Shallow School

IS 239 Mark Twain Intermediate School

IS 281 Joseph B. Cavallaro School

IS 303 Herbert S. Eisenberg School

MS 443 New Voices Middle School

IS 468 KECSS

IS 609 UASLE

MS 890 Ralph Waldo Emerson School

Become a Partner

NIA works tirelessly to build lasting and productive relationships with our school partners. Each program is fine-tuned to meet their specific needs. Our program supervisors and program directors work closely with principals, teachers, students, and parents to create program activities that enrich learning, nurture social and emotional growth, and fulfill the distinct needs of our after school participants. 

If your school is interested in partnering with NIA, please contact our Executive Director Annette Velez at annette@niabklyn.org or 718-236-5266. We look forward to working with you to build a brighter future!

“NIA values our collaborative  partnerships with the schools we serve. We believe in meaningful, open communication and consider our schools as equal partners in the program planning process.”

— Mary Anne Cino, CEO