History

PS 3 ‘til 6 ** has been an integral part of the PS 3 community for the past four decades, running continuously since its inception in the 1980s. When it first started, day-to-day affairs and classes were run by parent volunteers. Gradually, as the school population expanded, professionally trained staff and specialists were hired to help meet the growing need for services. As the 1990s drew to a close, it became increasingly clear that the complexities involved with running a large afterschool program would require a more effective organization to manage dedicated, professional services.
To this end, PS 3 ’til 6 was re-organized in 2001 as an independent not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation with its own bylaws and Board of Directors. The Board has always been composed of current and former of PS 3 parent-volunteers with fiduciary responsibility for the organization’s financial health and stability. With deep ties to the community, and unwavering commitment to a strong in-house afterschool, board members have provided invaluable support to the program, steering PS 3’til 6 through many challenges, including the devastating crisis brought on recently by the Covid pandemic. The strong sense of loyalty that drives the PS 3 ‘til 6 leadership extends to individual alumni of PS 3, who often return to fulfill their high school community service requirements at the afterschool, as well as families who contribute time and energy to support our efforts long after their children have left PS 3.
In recent years, our services have expanded to meet the needs and aspirations of a changing community. In addition to the onsite afterschool program, we also organize seasonal chess and tennis tournaments, exciting field trips, and a robust day camp program under the Village Kids banner. By forging ties with numerous organizations across the city, we provide a rich, innovative curriculum that includes a great variety of specialized workshops. Our programs are fully licensed and professionally managed and serve hundreds of children annually.
** What’s In The Name? Back when the program was originally created, PS 3 dismissed students at 3:00pm and the program was aptly named PS 3 ’til 6 to reflect our schedule. More recently, as public schools made changes to their drop-off and dismissal schedules, our program had to adjust its own start time to 2:30pm in order to welcome students and ensure a seamless transition from school to afterschool.