There is so much to love about this photo, we don’t know where to start! Pictured here is first-grader Matthew. This is his first year as a participant at our COMPASS Afterschool Program at P.S. 223  in Jamaica, Queens. You may think that all Matthew wanted for Christmas were his two front teeth. But, as an avid Lego builder, he also wished for a new Lego set. That’s where our Child Center of NY supporters come in! Through The Child Center of NY's Holiday Drive , 14,000 chil

At The Child Center of NY, we are proud to stand with our veterans and their families. We strive to honor their service with our own — through programs that support their mental health, strengthen families, and help them build the bright futures they deserve.

Lights On Afterschool (LOA) is a nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families and communities. The Child Center’s COMPASS afterschool program at P.S. 45 in South Ozone Park, Queens, marked the occasion with artwork, reflections, and fun!

Alessandro and Camilia are holding new backpacks provided through The Child Center’s 2025 backpack drive. Every year, The Child Center organizes a campaign to provide fully stocked backpacks to any child in our programs who needs one. Alessandro’s backpack included a binder, notebook, pens, pencils, markers, colored pencils, and more.

In this Photo of the Month, second-graders Kenya and Hailey and first-grader Nylaiah are learning about capillary action: the movement of a liquid along another material against an opposing force.

In this Photo of the Month, second-graders Kenya and Hailey and first-grader Nylaiah are learning about capillary action: the movement of a liquid along another material against an opposing force.

When deciding how to mark Juneteenth at our DYCD-funded Oceanside Cornerstone Community Center, Program Director Nelson Sarweh knew he wanted to do something that would be both meaningful and celebratory for the youth in the afterschool program and youth council. Nelson and his team decided on a Juneteenth end-of-year barbecue with celebration, performances, and reflection.

In 2022, a group of women from The Child Center of NY’s perinatal intensive outpatient program joined our groundbreaking pilot initiative, Cash+Community Works: a first-of-its-kind program that combines direct financial support with peer mentorship and community-based goal planning. The premise was simple but radical: trust communities to know what they need and equip them with the resources to pursue it.

The Child Center COMPASS afterschool program at P.S. 89 celebrated Mother’s Day with a paint and sip event that reflected the creativity, engagement, and togetherness that are a part of every day at COMPASS at P.S. 89! Children and their moms or other personal role models created a work of art together while sipping ginger ale from champagne flutes.

Students (and team members!) at Latimer Cornerstone Community Center in Flushing, Queens, explored their artistic side this month. First, they made scratch ornaments for Eid al-Fitr (see below) after learning about the holiday. Then they studied the late great artist Georgia O’Keeffe and created paintings inspired by her life and legacy.

April 2 is celebrated as International Children’s Book Day, in honor of beloved author Hans Christian Andersen. Ahead of the yearly observance, our Corona Head Start classrooms organized a book fair that promoted the Children’s Book Day mission of instilling in children an enduring love of reading.

Elm Tree Elementary students in Corona, Queens, engaged in Civics Week, March 10-14. The week consisted of daily classroom conversations on the importance of civics and the sharing of resources by fourth grade teacher Ms. Haynes. It also included voting! Three proposed projects were chosen by Elm Tree’s Chippy All Stars (student council) and shared with all.

The youth of The Child Center of NY marked Black History Month in ways that showcase their creativity, insight, character, and potential. The Child Center Residential Treatment Facility (RTF) in Brooklyn organized several activities to celebrate and delve into Black History Month, with discussion topics such as who were pioneers in Black history, and how did they shape their time and ours; movies that included Soul, Self Made, Harriet, and Hidden Figures; and art projects.

Noelia began baking sweets and selling them to her family members to earn extra cash during tough economic times. Word got around that Noelia’s creations were better than any bakery’s. She started getting requests from other moms for custom-order cakes for birthday parties. With limited resources, though, her business could grow only so much.

Rockaway residents celebrated Kwanzaa this holiday season the way they strive to live every day: with neighbors helping neighbors and celebrating their rich culture and each other. It all came together at the second Annual Community Unity Cultural Celebration of Kwanzaa on December 28 at B.R.I.D.G.E Family Enrichment Center. The celebration was sponsored and supported by several community organizations and attended by 180 Far Rockaway community members and friends.

Rockaway residents celebrated Kwanzaa the way they strive to live every day: with neighbors helping neighbors, celebration, and gratitude.

Twas truly the season for joy, giving, and gratitude at The Child Center of NY! Friends and supporters showed up for our families in a big way, leaving no doubt that there is a whole community that cares about them and considers them part of our larger New York family.

Every year, The Child Center of NY presents an annual report to share the stories and accomplishments of the past 12 months with our community members, friends, and supporters. We also enlist a professional photographer to document what really goes on in our programs! This year, among the sites we photographed was Ocean Bay Cornerstone Community Center in Arverne in the Rockaways.  

“Who would like to help me make this salad?” the class instructor asked. In the front row, Kimberly Quintero, age 7, waved her arm eagerly. The instructor, Mohammad Haq, was part of Farm to Preschool, a national nutrition program that The Child Center of NY has brought to our Head Start in Woodside, Queens. He was teaching a group of mothers and children to make coleslaw, and he helped as Kimberly mixed fresh dill with grated cabbage and carrots.

Taking advantage of the beautiful fall weather, the students of Escalera Head Start visited Central Park this month. The field trip coincided with their tree unit of study. Here they are measuring the circumference of trees.