A new Bronx charter school is opening with a 50-week calendar and 7 am–7 pm hours, designed to better align with working parents’ schedules.
At a Glance
- School: Strive Charter School (public charter), Bronx — grades K–4
- Address: 604 E. 139th St.
- Hours: 7 am–7 pm
- Weekday schedule: Drop-off 7–9 a.m. + pick-up 4:30–7 p.m. (both flexible)
- Extras: Optional weekend programming + planned 50-week calendar
- Meals: Free breakfast, lunch, and dinner on open days
Why it matters: For NYC families juggling commutes, meetings, and after-school logistics, those extra built-in hours could make the day feel far more manageable.
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For parents and kids in New York City, everything revolves around the school day. Every NYC parent knows the drill: the early-morning scramble, followed by the mid-afternoon dismissal. Then there is the after-school gap as part of the constant childcare patchwork. And let’s not forget the summer break logistics. Parents spend an incredible amount of time simply trying to make the calendar work.
When my kids were little, I was fortunate enough to have an employer who allowed me to leave the office in time to pick up my kids from school and then finish the rest of the day remotely once I got back home. It was a blessing … and a nightmare! So many days, I rushed to make it to the office on time for 9 am after drop-off, then scrambled to get to school on time for dismissal, often with delayed subways and last-minute work issues. What I would have given for a little leeway.
That’s why a new Bronx charter school is drawing attention for a schedule that’s almost unheard of in NYC: Strive Charter School plans to be open from 7 am to 7 pm, with weekend availability and a calendar designed to cover most of the year.
New Bronx Charter School: What Strive’s Schedule Looks Like
Strive Charter School is a public charter serving grades K–4 at 604 E. 139th Street in the Bronx. The building will be open 7 am–7 pm on weekdays, with a 7–9 am drop-off window and a 4:30–7 pm pick-up window.
The school also plans to operate on weekends and for most of the summer, with a 50-week calendar. So it’s not technically longer school for kids but much more flexibility built into the day for parents.
“We are trying to address a critical part of affordability for parents, which is childcare. Schools educate children but they also enable parents to work but they do a very bad job of it,” says Executive Director of Strive, Eric Grannis. “For example, schools close for the summer. It makes no sense. People’s jobs don’t close for the summer. And school lets out at about 3:30. Few jobs end by 3:30.”
The school’s weekend and summer programs are designed as fun learning. Each day includes a few reading periods, with students choosing their own books and having the option to read with friends. Other activities include sports, science experiments, and board games, such as Backgammon and Monopoly, that help build math and strategy skills.
Grannis says that on weekends and during the summer, Strive will be even more flexible.
“You can show up if you want and when you want. You could drop off your kid for a couple of hours while you do your laundry, or you can drop off your child for 12 hours while you drive an Uber or deliver packages for Amazon, “ he says. “You don’t have to tell us whether you’re coming, when you are coming, or when you will pick up your child – but if you do, we’ll have him ready when you arrive and at the exit to make your life easy.”
What Happens During the Extended Hours
The 12-hour schedule doesn’t mean kids are in classroom lessons all day long. The extra hours include structured time before and after the core school day, designed for reading, enrichment, and play-based learning.
Weekend and summer programs are optional, giving families coverage and choice, rather than forcing students into extra time.
Parents can drop in and take advantage of these hours if they need flexibility or simply pick up at the traditional dismissal time, which is, honestly, a godsend.
Meals are also part of the plan. Every parent also knows that packing lunches and making breakfast and dinner can also be sources of stress when rushing. To that end, Strive will provide free breakfast, lunch, and dinner on every day the school is open.
Why This Schedule Matters
Every parent knows the logistics problems well. Even when after-school programs exist, they can be expensive, unreliable, or end too early. Instead of racing to make a tight drop-off window, you can get more breathing room. And instead of piecing together plans for aftercare, the coverage is already built into the school day.
For families working nontraditional schedules, such as healthcare workers, service industry employees, transit workers, and parents juggling multiple jobs, the gap between school hours and work hours is often the biggest stress point in the week.
For more information, visit Strive Charter School.
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