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Participants in DYCD-funded English literacy programs
Support programs that provide participants with the services needed to increase and tap their capacity to strengthen and revitalize the communities of New York City. — Engage adolescents and adults in programs to increase English literacy skills and basic education participation.
DYCD attributes the Fiscal 2025 drop in English literacy program participants to a new multi-year contract cycle: awards to providers weren't finalized until partway through the year, new providers needed time to start up, and some providers shifted into a separate pilot program not counted in this total. DYCD's preliminary Fiscal 2026 report shows enrollment recovering as that contract cycle settles in.
Researched July 16, 2026 — DYCD, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report, DYCD, Fiscal 2026 Preliminary Mayor's Management Report
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 13,983 programs | 16,062 programs |
| FY23 | 16,520 programs | 12,120 programs |
| FY24 | 18,191 programs | 17,310 programs |
| FY25 | 13,429 programs | Not available |
| FY26 (YTD) | 10,628 programs | 14,120 programs |
Why this is tracked
The Beacon Community Centers initiative began in 1991 under Mayor David Dinkins as a complement to his 'Safe Streets, Safe City' anti-crime campaign, with the idea that safe, resourced neighborhood gathering places for both children and adults help stabilize communities. By 2017 the program had grown to over 90 sites citywide, hosted in public schools and open during afternoons, evenings, weekends, and school breaks. DYCD frames Beacons and similar community-based programs as tools for broader community revitalization, especially in neighborhoods with concentrated poverty or large immigrant populations, not just as youth programming.
Beacon Programs - DYCD, Beacon Community Centers - CAMBA, Inc.
Source: DYCD Literacy & Immigrant Service — via NYC Open Data: Mayor's Management Report, Agency Performance Indicators
Coverage shown: FY22–FY26, reported quarterly.
Definition: The numbers of students enrolled in Adult Basic Education and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs, and who have attended for at least 12 hours.Source: New York State Adult Literacy Information and Evaluation System.