Harlem Childrens Zone Inc

HCZ IS A PIONEERING, NON-PROFIT COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION THAT WORKS TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN SOME OF NYC'S MOST DEVASTATED NEIGHBORHOODS.

HARLEM CHILDREN'S ZONE OFFERS A COMPREHENSIVE NETWORK OF EDUCATION, SOCIAL-SERVICE AND COMMUNITY-BUILDING PROGRAMS ACROSS A 97-BLOCK AREA OF CENTRAL HARLEM. HARLEM CHILDREN'S ZONE SUPPORTS CHILDREN FROM BIRTH THROUGH COLLEGE AS WELL AS WORKING WITH THE ADULTS AROUND THEM. THE ORGANIZATION SERVES 22,500 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS WE PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS IN THE TRADITIONAL PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WITHIN HARLEM CHILDREN'S ZONE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS. WE WORK WITH MIDDLE-SCHOOL AND HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS THROUGH SEVERAL AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS, ENSURING THAT THEY ARE PREPARED FOR COLLEGE. HCZ'S COLLEGE PREPARATORY PROGRAM PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT YEAR-ROUND TO STUDENTS ACROSS ALL OF OUR HIGH-SCHOOL SITES. SERVICES INCLUDE ONE-ON-ONE TUTORING, STANDARDIZED TEST PREPARATION, AND ASSISTANCE WITH COLLEGE ESSAYS AND FINANCIAL AID APPLICATIONS. STUDENTS ALSO TAKE TRIPS TO VISIT COLLEGE CAMPUSES AND PARTICIPATE IN A HOST OF EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING ROBOTICS, CHESS, FASHION DESIGN, MUSIC AND VIDEO PRODUCTION, CREATIVE WRITING, AMONG OTHER PROGRAMMING. IN BUILDING ON OUR STUDENTS' PASSIONS, THESE ACTIVITIES ALSO HELP THEM GAIN CONFIDENCE, DISCOVER THE REWARDS OF COMMITMENT, AND GAIN EXPOSURE TO POTENTIAL CAREER PATHS. AT THE HEART OF OUR COLLEGE PREP PROGRAMMING IS OUR UNIQUE ACADEMIC CASE MANAGEMENT (ACM) APPROACH. THROUGH ACM, ALL MIDDLE-SCHOOL, HIGH-SCHOOL, AND COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE ASSIGNED A STUDENT ADVOCATE. WHEREAS GUIDANCE COUNSELORS IN NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE AN AVERAGE CASELOAD OF 400 STUDENTS, STUDENT ADVOCATES ADVISE AN AVERAGE OF 25 STUDENTS, WORKING CLOSELY WITH EACH AND EVERY ONE TO CREATE INDIVIDUALIZED ACTION PLANS WITH CONCRETE, TARGETED STRATEGIES TO HELP ADVANCE BOTH ACADEMIC AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT. LIKE EVERYTHING WE DO AT HCZ, HELPING OUR STUDENTS' ACHIEVE COLLEGE READINESS IS A TEAM EFFORT. IN ORDER TO BETTER FOSTER AND TRACK THEIR PROGRESS, STUDENT ADVOCATES COLLABORATE WITH PARENTS, TEACHERS, TUTORS, SOCIAL WORKERS, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS. IT IS ALSO A MULTI-PRONGED EFFORT. COLLEGE READINESS CALLS FOR A ROBUST KNOWLEDGE BASE IN CORE SUBJECT AREAS, CERTAINLY. YET IT ALSO CALLS FOR STRONG STUDY HABITS AND ACADEMIC BEHAVIORS, AS WELL AS NON-COGNITIVE SKILLS, SUCH AS CURIOSITY, GRIT, PERSISTENCE, AND RESOURCEFULNESS. ACROSS SITES AND GRADES, WE HELP STUDENTS DEVELOP BOTH THE CHARACTER TRAITS AND THE SOFT SKILLS THEY NEED TO FACE THE MANY CHALLENGES THAT COLLEGE BRINGS AND ACHIEVE THEIR LONG-TERM ACADEMIC, PROFESSIONAL, AND PERSONAL GOALS. ULTIMATELY, OUR COLLEGE PREP PROGRAM CONSISTS OF FAR MORE THAN CAMPUS VISITS AND CASE MANAGEMENT. THROUGHOUT OUR PIPELINE, HCZ'S DEDICATED STAFF CONSISTENTLY AIM TO CULTIVATE A COLLEGE-GOING CULTURE IN WHICH EACH AND EVERY CHILD IS EMPOWERED TO AIM HIGH AND IS EQUIPPED WITH THE RESILIENCE AND TOOLS TO FOLLOW THROUGH.

EARLY CHILDHOOD SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH HAS SHOWN CONCLUSIVELY THAT THE VERY FIRST YEARS OF A CHILD'S LIFE ARE OF ENORMOUS IMPORTANCE TO BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND CHANCES FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS. THAT IS WHY AT HCZ EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IS THE CRITICAL STARTING LINE FOR OUR CHILDREN IN THEIR JOURNEY TO COLLEGE GRADUATION. OUR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS OFFER A HOLISTIC COMBINATION OF EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT AND SERVICES THAT COACH PARENTS TO FACILITATE THEIR CHILD'S HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT, ENCOURAGE STRONG PARENT-CHILD BONDS, PROMOTE LITERACY-RICH INTERACTIONS, AND PREPARE CHILDREN TO ENTER KINDERGARTEN FULLY READY FOR SCHOOL. THE ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN TEACHING NEW PARENTS HOW TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR CHILDREN TO OPTIMIZE BRAIN DEVELOPMENT, WHICH SETS THE STAGE FOR LATER ACADEMIC SUCCESS. THE BABY COLLEGE PARENTING WORKSHOPS HAVE GRADUATED MORE THAN 7,000 PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS SINCE IT BEGAN IN 2000. THE BABY COLLEGE GIVES EXPECTANT PARENTS AND PARENTS OF CHILDREN AGES 0-3 A STRONG UNDERSTANDING OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND THE SKILLS TO RAISE HAPPY, HEALTHY BABIES THROUGH WORKSHOPS AND HOME VISITS. THE BABY COLLEGE GRADS PROGRAM DEEPENS PARENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR CHILDREN, ALSO THROUGH WORKSHOPS AND HOME VISITS. THE G.R.A.D.S. (GUARDIANS RESPONDING AND DEVELOPING STRATEGIES) EARLY HEAD START PROGRAM IS A FULL-YEAR HOME VISITING PROGRAM SERVING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FROM PREGNANCY TO AGE 3. G.R.A.D.S. FOCUSES ON STRENGTHENING PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS, EARLY LITERACY AND SCHOOL READINESS SKILLS, AND DEEPENING UNDERSTANDINGS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT. THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH WEEKLY HOME VISITS AND ON-SITE BI-WEEKLY PLAYGROUPS, ALSO CALLED SOCIALIZATIONS. MEETINGS ARE CONVIVIAL, PROVIDING PARENTS WITH HIGH-QUALITY TOOLS TO NURTURE THEIR CHILDS GROWTH THROUGH EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES, FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS, AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT. MEETINGS ARE CONDUCTED IN ENGLISH, SPANISH AND FRENCH. OUTSIDE OF VISITS, WE OFFER PARENT WORKSHOPS AND SUPPORT GROUPS TO FURTHER EMPOWER PARENTS AS THEIR CHILDS FIRST TEACHERS. ALL OFFERINGS ARE LED BY PARENT COACHES AND FAMILY AIDES TRAINED IN THE SOCIAL WORK, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, OR HEALTHCARE FIELDS. THE CONTINUOUS NATURE OF SERVICES PROVIDED TO FAMILIES FROM ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT ASSURES THAT WE ADDRESS CHILDREN AND FAMILY NEEDS AT A MOST SIGNIFICANT PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDRENS LIVES. HCZ CREATED THE THREE-YEAR-OLD JOURNEY PROGRAM TO CONTINUE THE PARENTING-SKILLS DEVELOPMENT THROUGH PARENT WORKSHOPS AND GROUP ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN. THE THREE YEAR OLD JOURNEY (TYOJ) PROGRAM IS DEDICATED TO THE WINNERS OF THE PROMISE ACADEMY LOTTERY. THERE, FAMILIES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE THEIR LEARNING OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ENHANCING THEIR PARENTING SKILLS AT THIS STAGE OF THEIR CHILDRENS LIVES. WHILE PARENTS RECEIVE WORKSHOPS RELATED TO DISCIPLINE, BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE TO NAME A FEW, THEIR CHILDREN ENGAGE IN DIFFERENTIATED ACTIVITIES WITHIN ACTUAL CLASSROOM SETTINGS AT PROMISE ACADEMY, WHERE THEY WILL EVENTUALLY BEGIN THEIR EDUCATIONAL PATH BEGINNING IN KINDERGARTEN. THERE, STUDENTS LEARN LITERACY, MATH AND SOCIAL SKILLS. PARENT WORKSHOPS ARE OFFERED IN ENGLISH, SPANISH AND FRENCH TO ADDRESS THE VARIOUS LANGUAGE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY. THE FINAL STEP IN OUR EARLY-CHILDHOOD PIPELINE, HARLEM GEMS OFFERS A HIGH-QUALITY, YEAR-ROUND, FULL-DAY PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM THAT ENSURES THAT EVERY STUDENT ENTERS KINDERGARTEN SCHOOL-READY. IN THE HARLEM GEMS PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAMS, THREE- AND FOUR-YEAR-OLDS ATTEND AN ALL-DAY, YEAR-ROUND PROGRAM. SPANISH AND FRENCH ARE TAUGHT TO BUILD A CULTURALLY SENSITIVE COMMUNITY REFLECTIVE OF OUR POPULATION. IN 2019, 99% OF THE CHILDREN WHO COMPLETED THE HARLEM GEMS PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAM HAVE BEEN ASSESSED AS "SCHOOL READY," AS DETERMINED BY THE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED BRACKEN SCALE ASSESSMENT.

COLLEGE AND CAREER WE BOAST A 97% COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE RATE AND, TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL, OUR CENTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION AND CAREER SUPPORT (CHECS) OFFERS A VARIETY OF SUPPORTS: TUTORING, SCHOLARSHIPS, FINANCIAL AID COUNSELING, AND TIME MANAGEMENT CLASSES, AS WELL AS RESUME-WRITING AND INTERVIEW WORKSHOPS. EACH STUDENT IS ASSIGNED AN ADVISOR WHO STAYS IN REGULAR CONTACT AND VISITS THE SCHOOL TO MAKE SURE THE STUDENT IS GETTING THE SUPPORTS THEY NEED AND IS STAYING ON TRACK FOR GRADUATION. WE ALSO HELP STUDENTS WITH GETTING WORKPLACE EXPERIENCE THROUGH PAID INTERNSHIPS IN FOR-PROFIT COMPANIES, HEALTH-CARE INSTITUTIONS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND NON-PROFITS AS WELL AS EMPLOYING THEM TO HELP WITH PROGRAMS AT HCZ. PART III, LINE 4D OTHER PROGRAMS PREVENTIVE SERVICES HCZ'S FOSTER-CARE PREVENTIVE PROGRAMS WORK TO STRENGTHEN FAMILIES IN CRISIS SO THAT THE FAMILIES CAN STAY WHOLE AND NOT HAVE CHILDREN PLACED INTO FOSTER CARE. COMMUNITY CENTERS: HCZ HAS ESTABLISHED PIONEERING COMMUNITY CENTERS FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS DURING EVENING, WEEKEND AND SUMMER HOURS. FOR STUDENTS, THE CENTERS PROVIDE CRITICAL ACADEMIC SUPPLEMENTS AND PERSONALIZED TUTORING, AS WELL AS A SAFE, ENRICHING PLACE FOR CHILDREN TO SPEND THEIR OUT-OF-SCHOOL HOURS. FOR ADULTS, THE CENTERS OFFER RECREATIONAL AND SPORTS PROGRAMS. OVERALL, THE CENTERS ARE NEEDED RESOURCES IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE BEREFT OF PLACES FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS TO GATHER, HAVE FUN, LEARN NEW SKILLS AND IMPROVE THEIR FITNESS. INCLUDED WITHIN OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES IS THE WILLIAM JULIUS WILSON INSTITUTE WHICH WORKS WITH ON-THE-GROUND-COLLABORATORS AND NATIONAL PARTNERS TO DELIVER COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIES, SUPPORT SERVICES, AND TOOLS THAT SYSTEMATICALLY ROOT OUT POVERTY AND CLOSE OPPORTUNITY GAPS IN NEIGHBORHOODS ACROSS AMERICA.