This holiday season, our afterschool programs are encouraging kids to give back. Our programs celebrated the Thanksgiving season by raising awareness about hunger and homelessness.

During the holiday months, The Child Center’s families come together for events centered around healthy food, fun, and family togetherness. These programs bring the whole family together—not just for arts and crafts and other fun, but also to talk about gratitude and growing closer.

On a recent afternoon in Queens, a roomful of high school students were practicing their handshakes. Some gazed shyly at the floor. Others stepped forward eagerly. It was the weekly meeting of JobNet Career Club, a new job counseling program at The Child Center, and employment specialist Ira Davison was going over basic interview skills. “Eye contact!” he encouraged.

“We’ll build a better world—for all the little boys and girls,” sang Emme Aviles and her friends, elementary school students in The Child Center’s summer program at PS 273. The students composed the song as part of an Africa-focused curriculum and fundraiser. They studied leadership, culture, and family relationships in six African countries, and raised money to help build a school in a South African village.

“The children weren’t able to play in the gym,” says Nathalie Louis, program director of the Beach 41st Street Community Center. “It was bare. It didn’t look like a gym at all.” Today, the Community Center has a fresh coat of blue paint and the gym has a new floor where children can play basketball and run and play—a community effort, thanks to the work of the staff at the Community Center, Council Member Donovan Richards and his supporting staff, Rebuilding Together NYC,

“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.

When students geared up for classes after the summer break, afterschool programs launched too, enriching the after-school hours with learning and fun. Across the country, afterschool programs participated in Lights on Afterschool events where they highlighted their programs and how they are helping kids to learn and grow.

Domestic violence is one of the most traumatizing events a child can experience, and each year 3.3 million children witness domestic violence assaults. They are domestic violence’s hidden victims. Unable to turn to their parents for help, these children often struggle in silence, alone with their fear and trauma.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is under investigation for child abuse after beating his four-year-old son with a switch. The news has sparked a debate about corporal punishment, cultural norms, and when spanking crosses over into abuse.

On Thursday, LL Cool J and Russell Simmons launched a new anti-violence program and gave life advice to the youngest inmates of Rikers Island. Traci Donnelly, CEO and Executive Director of The Child Center of NY,  joined Erica Ford, along with other artists and community leaders, for an event that helped youth learn how to control both their physical energy and their minds.

“There were three of us at first,” said Beatrice Winston, 18. “We were freshmen, all shy and scared.” The three girls, each struggling with her sexual identity, felt very alone in their new school. But they found courage in each other and decided to start an LGBTQ club. One by one, other teens joined.

Middle school can be toxic, especially if bullying goes unchecked. That’s why the young people at our MS 226 Beacon Center launched a widespread effort to make their community feel safe.

Banners, school songs, mascots: Kids at the Beacon Center at MS226 invented all of these to stage a mock “homecoming” recently. According to site director Angelika Peacock, this is just a small step at getting college into the kids’ psyche.

“All the boys wanted to build websites about sneakers and basketball,” laughs Adrianna Rodriguez, a youth counselor and tech whiz, who recently taught a class on computer coding at our Parsons Beacon Center.

Q: How do you get to CBS Studios? A: Start your own YouTube channel. That was the advice from CBS staff to students in the service-learning program at August Martin High School, who recently toured the studios.

The Child Center offers families help access services that can make all the difference to their lives.  In this story, New York Times journalist Paula Span interviews our Single Stop director Diane Gonzales about she helps people sign up for food stamps in 20 minutes.

When NY 1 did a segment on cyber bullying, they interviewed one of our therapists and also featured our after-school Tolerance Project.