A core principle of The Child Center of NY is that children learn best from relatable role models. Sometimes that takes the form of alumni sharing their journeys with current students.

The Child Center is dedicated to doing whatever it takes to help our children succeed in school. That’s why we’ve invested in efforts like in-school counseling and mentorship to ensure kids are socially and emotionally ready to learn.

As New Yorkers, we like to think of our city as one of the most progressive, where people of all walks of life are not only tolerated, but accepted and celebrated. It’s mostly true — New York is a great city that generally values its impressive diversity — but, sadly, it is also true that LGBTQ youth, even here, experience higher rates of isolation, depression, and suicide, in some communities more than others.

Last week, we began the campaign for Far Rockaway’s Redfern Cornerstone Community Center, which closed abruptly last year. I’m from the Far Rockaway community — grew up here, went to school here, and now serve as Director of the Cornerstone program.

When people hear the term “afterschool program,” they tend to think, “supervision.” But The Child Center of NY’s afterschool programs offer way more than a watchful eye.

The whole nation, it seems, has been in mourning these past few weeks due to gun violence. Here in our own community of the Rockaways, the heartbreak has been intensely personal, as we have lost two 15-year-old boys, Trevor Rhudd and Youssef Soliman, in the past two months to senseless gun violence.

At The Child Center of NY, we are constantly inspired by the creativity of the children in the communities we serve. That’s why we decided to mark the agency’s 65th anniversary year with a campaign to celebrate the artwork of students in our youth development and early childhood education programs.

Our Head Start students are no strangers to exciting visitors. Last year, the world-famous red monster Elmo dropped by. And in 2015, our Head Start students in Corona began the holiday season with a visit from then-New York Secretary of State Cesar Perales, Assembly Member Jeffrion Aubry, and U.S. Congressman Joe Crowley.

A year ago, The Child Center of NY launched “Dreams Take Flight,” a public awareness campaign to encourage kids and adults to let their dreams soar — literally!

I am excited to announce that when you give to The Child Center of NY this holiday season, our generous advisory board member Russell Carson will match what you give 1:3 up to $5 million. I’d like to tell you about one of the programs your tax-deductible contribution will help grow.

Last Wednesday, pediatric residents of the prestigious Cohen Children’s Medical Center, Northwell Health came to The Child Center’s Corona Head Start location to provide primary medical services, including physical examinations; medical histories; height and weight measurements; vision, hearing, and nutritional screenings; and parental guidance to low-income families.

Every year, more than one million Americans celebrate afterschool programs and their impact on the lives of millions of children. The Quest ExpandEd program at P.S. 182 proudly participated in this national celebration with our Annual Lights on After School event and, in true Quest fashion, knocked it out the park! 

At The Child Center of NY, one of our firmest beliefs is that intelligence and drive are evenly distributed among zip codes. Unfortunately, opportunity isn’t always. That’s why we’ve been hard at work at August Martin High School, in one of the most underserved communities in the city.

The Child Center of NY is the place to be if you’re a kid who’s into professional sports. Last summer, our Far Rockaway RBI little leaguers participated in Major League Baseball’s All-Star Youth Classic. This spring, they scored free tickets to Bat Day at Yankee Stadium. And yesterday, campers from our Latimer Community Cornerstone were invited to the US Open’s fourth annual Queens Day celebration at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona

To understand the importance of the Redfern Cornerstone Community Center in a tight-knit community of Far Rockaway, start by asking its youngest residents.

It’s been quite a ride for Far Rockaway RBI in the three years since its inception — sometimes literally. Last weekend, 28 Far Rockaway RBI ballplayers, along with 9 coaches and chaperones, rode the NYC Ferry from the peninsula to Manhattan. For most of them, it was their first time on a ferry. As if that weren’t exciting enough, they were headed to Bat Day at Yankee Stadium, where they got to see one of their favorite Major League Baseball teams in action.

Performers from the Quest ExpandEd program at P.S. 182, Samantha Smith Elementary School, took the stage last month with a production of “Beauty & the Beast, Jr.,” an outstanding adaptation of Disney’s beloved “tale as old as time.”

When a child spends his adolescence in the criminal justice system, his time behind bars might stay off his permanent record, but the experience never gets fully erased from his psyche. “Adolescents who’ve been in the criminal justice system mostly talk about the trauma and abuse they experienced there,” says Miosotte Caban, a therapist at The Child Center of NY’s Jamaica Family Center. “Some say they will be traumatized for life and may not live what society calls a normal l

“History in the Making: The Soul of the Youth” lit up the stage at The Child Center of NY’s Beacon program at Catherine & Count Basie Middle School 72 on Friday, February 3, kicking off Black History Month with a diverse array of performances and readings by students of all ages. Jaylin, who served as the student emcee for the evening, announced quietly before making his way to the front to introduce the first act:  “I’m scared.” 

When a group of talented and hardworking middle-school girls combine a strong social conscience with a passion for dance, amazing things happen. Back in October, the Golden Lionesses of The Child Center of NY’s SONYC Queens United afterschool program performed a dance focused on the theme of “broken homes” at our Second Annual Lights on Afterschool event. In attendance were representatives from Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman’s office and Councilman Donovan Richards’ office.