In the Bronx and citywide, the ACES afterschool program through New York Junior Tennis and Learning (NYJTL) is working to improve students’ academic, emotional and physical well-being, using tennis as the hook.
ACES was launched in 2008 and, in 2022, incorporated a mental health component in response to pandemic-era learning loss and worsening mental health outcomes amongst young people. The tennis nonprofit now operates 42 ACES programs citywide, with 13 in the Bronx, serving more than 3,000 children annually at no cost to families.
Students spend a significant amount of time in the state and city-funded program, which runs Monday through Friday from school dismissal until 6 p.m.
With ACES, tennis becomes a gateway to explore new interests, said Kim Feliz, community schools site director for NYTJL. However, “We are not just looking to develop their skills in tennis,” she said. “We are looking to develop the entire child.”
During a recent visit to the ACES program embedded at P.S. 71 in the East Bronx, Feliz said students participate in a variety of activities throughout each year, including dance, fitness, yoga, STEM, drama, character development, and practical arts like sewing and weaving.
They can also receive tutoring and homework help in “very intimate” sessions with just a few students per adult helper, said Feliz, adding that ACES tailors its curriculum to what students are already learning in the classroom.
As for the tennis component, most ACES students pick up a racket for the first time in the program, and it catches on quickly, Feliz said.
As students improve, they participate in school-level and citywide tournaments, but the major milestone is receiving their own rackets as they progress through the first year of instruction, said Feliz.
The rackets become a sort of “status symbol” that students decorate and show off while carrying between home and school, according to Feliz. “It boosts their confidence.”
One sixth-grade student in his second year of tennis instruction said he plans to stick with it. “I like it because it’s different from all the other sports I play,” he told the Bronx Times. “It can be stressful sometimes, but it’s fun, and I like it a lot.”
Another sixth-grader declared that after two years of learning tennis, “It’s my sport.” He said he now practices with his dad in his free time, either at Pelham Bay Park or the Cary Leeds Center at Crotona Park, which is run by NYJTL.
Families surveyed indicate that the ACES program is helping their young learners — 96% of parents said their child is gaining skills to support success in school, while students reported a 47% improvement in stress management and a 21% increase in emotional awareness, according to the organization.
For more information about ACES, see https://www.nyjtl.org/aces-afterschool/
This story was updated Oct. 31 at 1:00 p.m. to correct the year ACES was established.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
