Harvard Ed. Magazine Features New York Edge Student Book Publishing Project

When the last school bell rings for the day, that’s when Rachael Gazdick, Ed.M.’99, gets to work. Gazdick is the CEO of New York Edge, the largest provider of afterschool and summer camp programming in New York City (NYC) and Long Island, which offers daily activities for more than 25,000 students across NYC’s five boroughs. Projects range from the arts to sports and wellness to college and career readiness.

Gazdick calls the 30-year-old nonprofit a “hidden gem” for the metropolitan area, and since taking over in 2019, she’s worked to elevate what afterschool time can look like by creating pathways for kids to imagine the kinds of adults they might become.

“I think we have to think of afterschool time as not just homework help or babysitting,” she says. “These are really structured activities that are accelerating kids to the next level, to professions and areas we want to see them in.”

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