Transcript: Mayor Adams, Chancellor Aviles Ramos, and DYCD Commissioner Howard Continue "We Outside Summer" By Kicking Off Summer Rising

July 2, 2025

Deputy Mayor Ana Almanzar, Strategic Initiatives: Good morning, everyone. I am Ana J. Almanzar, and I serve the City of New York as your deputy mayor for Strategic Initiatives. I am thrilled to be here today as we kick off another amazing year of Summer Rising, New York City's largest free summer program for our students. 

For me, Summer Rising isn't just a program. It is a solution. It is how our administration steps up for families who need safe and enriching spaces for their kids during the summer, and how we make sure learning doesn't stop when the final bell rings at the end of June. 

That is why I want to thank our incredible partners here today. First, deputy chancellor of New York City Public Schools, Dan Weisberg, and one of my favorite colleagues, and I say this in public, I'm getting all kinds of trouble, Commissioner Howard, the Department of Youth and Community Development, Commissioner Howard, and I thank you for your leadership and collaboration through this program. 

A big thank you as well to the non-profit organizations and service providers who work tirelessly to bring this program to life. And of course, thanks to Principal Elizabeth... Where is Principal Elizabeth? Hi, Principal. And the staff for this amazing P.S. 154 for hosting us today and for your continued commitment to our young people. 

And with that, it is an honor and my honor to introduce New York City's Chief Executive Officer, a leader who continues to make significant investments in our students, our families, making New York City the best place to raise a family, and putting forward the best budget ever for FY 2026, Mayor Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thanks so much, DM, and looking at the scholars behind me, we knew all along that one of the most kept secrets was the fact that there was a summer loss. There was a learning gap that happened throughout the summer months, and we had to fix that gap. Particularly after COVID, so many of our young people fell behind academically. 

And so, we wanted to double down with our partnership with DYCD and DM Almanzar and the Department of Education, we wanted to double down on summer rising. 110,000 young people will be attending schools, and we put the money into this project, process, and program. 

Over $100 million invested, all school learning, trips, interactions, socialization, learning from other young people that are here, great teachers, instructors, and staff that really understand how important it is for these young people to get a well-structured environment to continue the academic achievements that we're seeing throughout the state. 

We are outpacing the state in reading and math because of the great team over at the Department of Education, but it's more than that. We know during the summer months, many of our young people are going without nutritional meals, and if you look at the meals that we're serving, and this year we're doing something new, we're having fresh fruits and vegetables, and we're allowing them to pick what they want as they have the good start of their day, as not having witnessed how well they're doing academically and nutrition, and really giving them the social, emotional, learning, and intelligence that they need to be productive citizens. 

We're excited about this summer, many trips, everything from trips to a culturally sensitive and learning atmosphere. This is a real win for the city. We're going to watch these children rise throughout the entire summer as they become better students, better young people, [and] learn those interaction skills that they're going to need for the future. DM Almanzar, DYCD, Commissioner Howard, Dan, thank you so much, and to our young scholars behind you, have a great summer.

Deputy Mayor Almanzar: I am sure we can do better than that. Thank you, Mayor Adams. As the Mayor mentioned, we are also kicking off our Summer Food 2025, where every child under the age of 18 can find a meal at the many locations throughout the city. Thank you, mayor, again. 

We want to make sure that you just not hear from us, but also you hear from the parents who take advantage of this program and bring their children to a safe educational space throughout the summer. And with that, tonight, today, we have a young mom who has two of her young boys in this school for the summer, and she has four children, Ousainatou Jallow, whose child, Sufyan Jallow, I think I pronounced it right, is in second grade here at P.S. 154. With that, please join us. Thank you. 

Ousainatou Jallow: Hi, good morning, everyone. Good morning. Thank you, Mayor Adams. Thank you, Deputy Mayor Almanzar. Thank you, Chancellor Aviles-Ramos, and thank you, Commissioner Howard, for having me and my family here today. 

We appreciate you inviting me and Sufyan and his siblings today, this morning, on the first day of Summer Rising. As a parent, Summer Rising gives me assurance that it's free, let's say that again, free for the summer. For Sufyan, it means an opportunity, Sufyan and his siblings, it means an opportunity to learn, have fun, and explore this city. But Sufyan, do you want to tell them what you like about Summer Rising?

Sufyan Jallow: Summer Rising is a really good, is a really good, is a really good summer program for me to keep me busy throughout the summer.

Jallow: One thing I'd like to add is that my guiding principle as a parent is my mom always remind me that in West African/Fulani proverb, a person's character is not determined by the way they treat their children, but how they treat other people's children. And I always think about that every day when I interact with just people in general, and it's my guiding principle. And New York City Mission Society is amazing, has been amazing to my family. 

It started with Sulayman, then Sufyan, then Salaam, and hopefully Fatumata soon. So I thank you all for having us here today, and it's amazing to be here in Harlem, having a program where I can keep my kids safe, fulfilled, not hungry, and just excited for the summer. Thank you.

Deputy Mayor Almanzar: Well, let's give a big round of applause to Ms. Yalo and to her son and all her children for being here and supporting her and supporting the program. Thank you so much for your kind words. And this is truly what a great program looks like, where you have young students celebrating the importance of being here and learning throughout the summer. 

To every parent, to every student, to every educator who's here today, welcoming our students and opening a great new Summer Rising program, I want to take a quick moment just to give a shout-out to my nephew Eduardo, who started the Summer Rising in the Bronx. He will tell me that he gave a shout-out if he sees this, because he's very, very excited to be in the Bronx today and to learn and be part of, for the first time, of Summer Rising. With that, let's make 2025, the summer of 2025, the best year yet for Summer Rising. Thanks, everybody.