Joseph's Story

Ms. Fran’s Perspective Frances Keogan, Senior Program Director

At The Child Center of NY’s COMPASS afterschool programs, our role goes beyond supervision. We provide enriching activities that offer children opportunities to try and excel at new things, as well as a place where they can create friendships with peers and relationships with supportive adults. We also provide a meaningful connection to the school day, reinforcing and sometimes enhancing what children learn in their classrooms. This is especially true of Literacy Leaders.

Literacy Leaders is a sight word program for kindergartners and first graders at seven of our afterschool programs. Sixty percent of all the words you come across in print and on screen come down to the same 220 words, known as sight words. If children recognize them by the end of first grade, they are well on their way to fluency and being on grade level for literacy. This is important because reading proficiently by the end of third grade is a predictor of academic success, high school graduation, and other long-term benefits. And it’s important to individual children like Joseph, a participant in our COMPASS afterschool program at P.S. 56.

Like many children, Joseph struggled to sit in a chair and follow along with lessons. Between October and February of his first-grade year, he had not made progress on his sight words list. The COMPASS team shared their struggles with Joseph, as well as their conviction that, with the right support, he was more than capable of learning his sight words. We all understood that Joseph just needed a little more tailored support to get there—and we knew collaboration was the key.

Joseph’s parent, Heidi, was an understanding, patient, and collaborative parent who saw, as we did, Joseph’s potential. Program Director Jennifer Alvarado held meetings with Ms. Heidi, Assistant Principal Andrea Robinson, and other members of COMPASS at P.S. 56 staff—including Cesar Guzman, who served as the literacy manager for P.S. 56—to create a plan for Joseph. We also met with the principal of P.S. 51, where Joseph attends school. That’s when we realized Joseph had a classroom para[professional, an aide who provides assistance to students] to help him during the regular school day—and we thought having that one-to-one support might help him make progress at afterschool, too.

Shortly after that, a para showed up in afterschool to work with Joseph. We were overjoyed that he would get the support he needed.

The para helped guide Joseph to stay on task, and Jen selected the staff that would best suit him. Group Leaders Stephanie Hernandez-Aquino and Jason Achar built systems and routines with him. And Jen kept pushing to make sure Joseph would get what he needed.

The next time I visited Joseph's class to observe Literacy Leaders, Joseph was sitting in a chair next to his para. He was engaged, and he was learning words! He was calling them out with the rest of the class. I pointed to words, and Joseph acknowledged me and read each one. He followed the instructions for the literacy game. His para redirected him when necessary. He even gave me a high five! I was overwhelmed with emotion seeing Joseph thriving in an environment that a few months earlier he struggled to manage. By the end of the Literacy Leaders program, he moved up four lists!

So many people contributed to Joseph's success. One of the heroes is Assistant Principal Robinson, who listened to our concerns and ideas and used her relationship with the district special needs office to get Joseph a para. Our COMPASS team never stopped believing in what Joseph could achieve—and Heidi and Joseph proved them right.

Heidi’s Perspective Joseph’s Mom

Joseph also enjoys participating in Zumba.

Prior to Joseph starting The Child Center’s afterschool program, I found that he had too much downtime and wasn’t making much progress. I felt he had more potential and needed more structure and routine in addition to his regular school day. I also was concerned that he wasn’t having enough socialization opportunities with peers. As a parent, you always want your children to be able to rise as far as they can, but it’s not always clear how to make that happen.

Joseph received support and care from The Child Center. He needed some additional guidance compared to other peers and some 1:1 attention when necessary. Once he adapted to the program—learning the expectations, schedules, and activities offered each day and being integrated with other peers his age—he was able to better regulate himself and enjoy his experience at the afterschool program. 

Joseph has definitely made tremendous progress academically, behaviorally, and socially, and it’s something to be proud of and celebrate! His language skills have developed more as a result of getting extra support to reinforce what he learns during the regular school day. Socially, I find him more outgoing when we go out as a family during the weekends and days off. I think having the routine and a place where he is comfortable and overall happy has really helped him grow and mature.

Being able to participate in the Child Center of NY afterschool program has been positive and has helped give him an opportunity to be part of something outside of the regular school day and school community. It’s important to give each child academic and social experiences, even if and when they struggle. In time, with dedication, as the staff from COMPASS has provided, you get to see how a child can evolve!

Joseph’s Perspective

My favorite parts of reading books are the characters and pictures. My favorite parts of COMPASS are art, coloring, and words!