Summer Rising is a massively popular city program for children that is a combination of summer school and summer camp. The first half of the day is devoted to academics, taught by public school teachers like Lizette Javier.

"Just a lot of reviewing and making sure that they are getting ready for first grade," Javier said.

The second half of the day is filled with enrichment activities, run by community-based organizations that partner with schools. Activities range from dancing to cooking to sports to outdoor play.

"It's not exactly school, as you still get to go out and have fun and you get to go on field trips. Like, you're only learning for half of a school day," 11-year-old Nikolas Dubyk said.

Dubyk, who will start sixth grade this fall, was happy to be back at Summer Rising, though he did put up some resistance earlier in the morning on Wednesday.

"I was like, 'No, I don't want to go. Like, I seriously go every year. Can't I take a break from that?' And my parents say, 'No, because we have to work during the summer.' And I'm like, 'They really don't give you a break for the summer?'"

There's no break for Principal Antonio Hernandez either, who had five days to get ready for Summer Rising.

"This is more about, first of all, giving our families an opportunity to continue their work and making sure their kids are in a safe place. But also, it’s about giving kids an opportunity to engage in the playground that is New York City. So our kids go to museums. They go to parks. They go to pools. They go to theaters," Hernandez said.

The program began as a way to help kids make up ground lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was so popular this year that about 45,000 applicants did not get a seat.