Dear Friends:

I hope that you are enjoying the seasons’ change and the spirit of renewal that spring brings. Spring is also a time for us here at the 1199SEIU Child Care Funds and Corporation to look back at all the wonderful things we have accomplished and to look forward to the start of the busy summer program season.

Our team understands the challenges of managing work and family life, including accessing affordable, quality child-care and youth programs. Our organization was founded on the notion that if working parents are not worried about their children’s care, they can better focus on their work. This is especially true for the important work of our everyday healthcare heroes.

This past year we celebrated 30 years of the 1199SEIU Child Care Funds. For three decades we have provided quality services to over 400,000 children and families. We look forward to continuing our mission of helping working families access quality and affordable child-care and youth programs for many more! As we move forward with the worst of COVID-19 behind us, we remain committed to providing your families with nurturing and enriching child-care programs and resources in this new day and age.

In this newsletter you will find informative articles about our programs, including how we’re engaging our youth through WorkForce 2000 and the Youth Mentoring Program and helping them create memories with the Holiday Sleep-away Camp Program. You’ll also see what our younger learners are up to at the Future of America Learning Center in the Bronx with a look at this year’s 27th Annual Science Fair. We were also back in person for our 15th Annual Care for Kids Gala this past December and had our work featured in a Fortune.com podcast.

I hope you find the contents of this newsletter valuable, and I look forward to continuing our mission of providing quality, affordable child-care benefits, programs and services to our working families.

Sincerely,

Rossmery Dais
Executive Director, 1199SEIU Child Care Funds
President, 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Corporation

My mom, Andrea Beckford, who is a Registered Nurse at Brookdale Hospital was ecstatic to be able to get me involved in the academic program. During my freshman year of high school, I attended an in-person informational session and had an interview for the program. Not long after the major shutdown due to COVID, I took online classes, such as Algebra 2, Performing Arts and U.S. History, but my favorite was Social Justice. In this class I learned about topics like redlining and abortion. I could say the
same for all teachers, being that every staff member’s top priority was to ensure that all students wanted to participate in the class.

Toward the end of my sophomore year, I interviewed to be a part of the Pre-Registered Nursing Program, which was an unconventional process. All applicants attending a Zoom call had to answer prompts in a group setting, we were quizzed on a lesson regarding burns and lesions, and we had to write a short essay on where we see ourselves professionally in the future. After being accepted, I did not fully comprehend the commitment that this program demanded. While attending online classes, the program prepared me for what college would be like, with lectures from Dr. Blake, writing research papers, taking anatomy and physiology classes, and learning how to cite using APA. Through analyzing case studies and answering practice National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) questions, we learned about the nursing profession and hospital environment.

It was not until I got into the Pre-RN Program that I also had access to a network of resources like a college advisor, scholarships and the ability to network with alumni from the program and professionals who want to help the next generation of healthcare providers. I have been asked about my plans for the future many times since navigating the college application process. I can confidently say that I will strive to become an educator and a mentor in my future career. I will pursue a healthcare career as most of
the college majors I have applied for are Nursing, Biology and Biomedical Engineering. The next step is deciding which college I will attend by the end of April to earn a Bachelor’s degree and further my career.

Among our seven classrooms, FALC Preschool and Pre-K teachers of students ages 2 to 5 spent a month collaborating and planning for an epic outdoor FALC Olympics/Field Day, filled with creative, rigorous gross motor activities and meaningful learning experiences for all FALC children. On Friday, June 17, 2022, teachers brought props, supplies and equipment, such as hula hoops, balls, balance beams, mats and poly spots to transform the tennis courts of St. James Park into a colorful sports arena. This well-orchestrated event was our last center-wide hurrah before the end of the school year.

Each class chose up to two activities to put the children’s skill sets and creativity to the test in a healthy competition in which all were winners! Each class got suited up in bright t-shirts, decorative accessories and/or face paint reflective of a specific color of the rainbow to represent their individual class team. Mr. Kenya kicked off the festivities with a toot of his whistle as teachers did a mock run of the obstacle course, modeling each activity that the children would complete, which were similar to the exercises that they have routinely done in class.

The outdoor experience electrified the staff and children, as they eagerly cheered and laughed while jumping, running and hopping through obstacle courses and using spray bottles in relay races. The staff guided and supported children as they balanced on beams, shot basketballs into a hoop and ran the length of the tennis court. Due to the hot weather, children were given water to stay hydrated and spray bottles to cool off, resulting in some well-received “water spritz fights.” At the closing of the FALC Olympics/Field Day, all of the classrooms joined together to create a grand rainbow portrait and received medals for a job well done. Everyone had an awesome time but were understandably looking forward to returning to the comfort of the air-conditioned Center. This event will surely become a staple of our FALC annual activities based on the successful participation and response.

The Holiday Sleep-Away Program (HSAP) and the Teen Holiday Sleep-Away Program (T-HSAP) took place in February 2023, at Hands in 4 Youth (the home of Camp Vacamas) in West Milford, NJ. Seventy-four youth attended HSAP and 63 teens attended the camp, which included activities like making s’mores around the camp fire, high and low rope challenge courses, maple syruping, movie nights, debate, robotics, archery, games, team sports, hiking, outdoor recreation, nature exploration and big brother/sister mentorship activities with the HSAP participants.
The HSAP and the T-HSAP offer fun and educational experiences during the winter and spring breaks from school. HSAP serves youth ages 8 to 12, engaging kids in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) activities, arts and crafts and nature exploration to help nurture personal development and academic enrichment. T-HSAP provides teens ages 13 to 17 opportunities to build leadership skills and participate in team-building experiences including sports and games, debate and outdoor recreation.
The HSAP and T-HSAP Winter Session Satisfaction Survey was emailed to members on March 3, 2023.

• There was a 38% response rate and members said:
  • Their child liked/loved his/her camp experience (96%).
  • It’s likely/extremely likely they will apply for the program again (89%).
  • Some member testimonials:
  • “My child couldn’t stop talking when she got back, she was talking about everything with a smile on her face. And that makes me happy.”
  • “We are extremely grateful to everyone who made this experience a great one. For helping stay calm and to put our fears and anxieties aside. Now we camper and parent can reassure others that the best thing is to give it a try. Thanks so much 1199SEIU HSAP and Hands In 4 Youth.”
  • “My child came home and immediately shared how much she loved everything about Hands in 4 Youth. I know my child and when she loves something she will go on and on about it until the next time. She is impatiently awaiting to return in April for the spring session. She’s made new friends and talks to them daily. Thank you!”
• Ninety-four of the Winter Session attendees were expected to return for the spring session, which ran from April 10-14.

The 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Corporation’s Future of America Learning Center (FALC) of Bronx, New York proudly celebrated its 27th Annual Science Fair with a full week extravaganza of children’s project presentations, virtual displays and “in-house” field trips from Monday, March 27, 2023, through Friday, March 31, 2023. This is the first time since the onset of the pandemic that FALC opened its doors to families and invited guests to visit the center floor at scheduled times to actively engage in and marvel at the culmination of science, technology, relationships, engineering, arts and math (STREAM)-infused exhibits and hands-on experiments, based on the science fair’s overarching essential question of “How Do the Elements of Nature Affect Us?”

This year, young scholars ages 2 to 5 took on a scientific journey of land, air, sea and space to unravel some mysteries of our world, with their teachers as trusted guides. They had creative license to navigate the science fair theme and make authentic connections to sensorial exploration, mindfulness/spiritual wellness, natural disasters and phenomena, current events, technological advances/inventions, relative professions, and health/safety/security matters in the comfort of their classrooms’ learning stations and on-site STREAM lab. During the event, students confidently presented their action-based research, sharing knowledge about their experience and process. They had “prime time” to publicly showcase their scientific learning, experiments and family projects about earth, air, water, fire and space, answering questions such as, “How do I explore the five elements? How can we explore our earth? What effects does the element of fire have on the earth? Why is space exploration important to our environment? How does water affect living things and our environment? What benefits can we get from the land/earth? How does wind affect our environment?”

FALC continuously strives to serve as a catalyst for change and transformative learning. The annual science fair has been a long-time staple of our program’s curriculum and family engagement activities, focusing on the quality of process and interaction instead of the end product. This interdisciplinary approach to learning exemplifies FALC’s Plant-A-Dream curriculum design, which connects children to the real and natural world. Using varied activities and materials based on the theory of multiple intelligences as the entry point, students are encouraged to ask questions, develop hypotheses, reflect, explore, observe, collaborate and integrate their curiosity, creativity and learning into their everyday lives.

The Youth Mentoring Program (YMP) continues to provide teenage children of 1199SEIU members with work and learning opportunities to boost their professional development skills.

In 2022, 125 participants completed the YMP, which offers six-week hybrid summer employment opportunities at participating nursing homes and healthcare institutions across New York City. Interns built educational and on-the-job competencies throughout the program, helping to prepare them for careers in healthcare and beyond.
Interns completed projects on health-related topics and presented these projects at the YMP closing ceremony, held at the end of the summer. Topics included mental health, and food disparities, among many others.

Our standardized test prep programs remained popular, with strong attendance rates for both the SAT Prep Program and the 2022 Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) Prep. The SAT Prep Program was split into two sessions, running for 18 weeks on Saturdays during the spring and fall semesters. With specialized workshops covering topics like college essay writing and test-taking anxiety, students gained special insight into a wide range of facets of the college admissions process. The SHSAT program had 27 students, five of whom ranked high enough on practice tests to potentially get seats at one of nine specialized high schools.

The SHSAT Prep Program prepares seventh- and eighth-grade students for entry into one of New York City’s nine specialized high schools, with programs focused on math, science, language arts and technology. Throughout the semester, students attended admissions workshops, worked through practice materials and learned test-taking strategies to strengthen their skill sets in specialized interest areas as they geared up for the test in November 2022.