The City of Rochester has hired the Center for Governmental Research to conduct a study of the programs and services provided by the Department of Recreation and Youth Services.
The study, which will cost $49,600, will examine the programs and services provided by the department and compare them to programs offered by the Rochester City School District and the Rochester Public Library as well as those offered by the nonprofit community. The programs offered are range from recreation and after school programs to summer youth jobs and pregnancy prevention. "I think it's even more critical to surround kids with assets in places where we have concentration of poverty and perhaps families aren't equipped to provide all of these opportunities to kids themselves. I think the city clearly recognizes this. The Department of Rec and Youth Services is an $11 million dollar department set up to be proactive and provide these preventive services for youth," said Kirsten Pryor, associate director of the Center for Governmental Research.
Pryor says the study will identify any gaps or overlaps in services provided by Recreation and Youth Services and the Rochester City School District and the Rochester Public Library. The research will also examine how other Upstate New York communities structure their youth programs.
