The Future of America Learning Center (FALC) proudly hosted the grand opening of the STREAM (Science, Technology, Relationship, Engineering, Art and Math) Learning Lab with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and personal dedication to former Child Care Corporation President Vivian Fox for igniting the love and passion for science in all of us, especially young children. Ms. Fox received a plaque as a token of appreciation for her inspiration and commitment to the field of early-childhood education. The event included a presentation showing STREAM in action among children and staff to emphasize the six concepts; a children’s virtual tour and introduction of learning stations; and songs of tribute and gratitude.

FALC received a generous grant from the New York City Council to purchase relevant equipment and materials integral to stimulating scientific inquiry and exploration about the Earth, water, sky and space. This unique lab is a prepared, Plant-A-Dream curriculum-based, multi-sensory learning station that is separate and distinct from the learning centers in the children’s classrooms. It is physically arranged and equipped to reflect the criteria of the early-childhood assessment tools and to appeal to our young scholars’ different learning styles and strengths.

FALC children, age 2 to 5, can now visit the STREAM Learning Lab in small groups with their teacher as a field trip/museum-like experience that includes discovery and process-based learning in astronomy, coding and robotics, wind tunnel exploration and planting. We are grateful for this extension of our Plant-A-Dream curriculum, connecting children to the real and natural world.

The Youth Mentoring Program (YMP) and WorkForce 2000 (WF2) Program continue to help teenage children of 1199SEIU members boost their academic progress and professional development skills after an unpredictable school year.

In 2021, 194 students completed the YMP, which offers four-week online summer employment opportunities at participating nursing homes and health institutions across New York City. Students build educational and on-the-job competencies throughout the program, helping to prepare them for future healthcare careers.

Twenty-four students were hired as seasonal staff, participating in trainings and regular meetings that updated staff on procedures and best practices.

Students completed health-related projects and presented them at the YMP closing ceremony, held at the end of the summer. Topics included mental health, maternal mortality and teen pregnancy, diabetes and health disparities, looking to the future, students submitted several program proposals for review, including a Junior Internship Program and a YMP Alumni Project.
Our standardized test prep programs remained popular, with strong attendance rates for both the SAT Prep Program and the 2021 Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) Pilot Program. 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 including college essay writing and financial aid, students gained special insight into a wide range of aspects of the college admissions process.

The SHSAT Pilot Program (sponsored by CCC) prepares eighth- and ninth-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 prepared for the test in December 2021.

Last July, WF2 kicked off summer programming for more than 250 students with four-week virtual programs including the Summer Academic Experience, the Pre-RN program and the new Professional Development Program presented in partnership with YMP.

Summer Academic Experience

Over 150 students completed the Summer Academic Experience
(SAE) offered with our partner site, New York University. Students participated in a variety of classes based on their interests and grade level, along with special workshops on college planning with the City University of New York (CUNY) and the State University of New York (SUNY) systems; wellness and nutritional health with the Benefit Funds’ Wellness Member Assistance Program; and financial literacy.

Pre-RN Program

WF2’s Pre-RN track assists high school students interested in nursing careers by offering programming geared toward acceptance into nursing school. Over the summer, 13 students completed the Pre-RN program and presented summer health projects to fellow students and staff at the Pre-RN Lab Coat Ceremony. Projects focused on physical and mental health issues, such as video games and depression, mental health in school, depression in teenagers, Black maternal health and more.

This winter, 11 Pre-RN students presented group projects at an online health fair on topics including sexually transmitted diseases and sexually transmitted infections, teen mental health, and cancer and its prevalence.

Using the blended-learning approach, the Child Care Funds (CCF) held the 2022 Pre-RN Open House on March 12 via Zoom. WF2 staff and a select group of New York University Metro Center staff reviewed all applications, resumes and teacher recommendations. Twenty-two students applied, and 14 students were accepted into the program.

Professional Development Program

In a special collaboration, YMP and WF2 teamed up to offer the new Professional Development Program for youth eligible for YMP, WF2 and New York City’s Department of Youth & Community Development. Thirty-four students completed the online curriculum, in which they built a professional portfolio that included their resume, cover letter, thank you notes and a capstone project.

Summer Youth Employment Program

The WF2 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) offered a six-week hybrid learning experience, with 48 students working both in person and online across 16 healthcare sites, including Maimonides Medical Center, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Triboro Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing, and more. As part of a grant from New York City’s Department of Youth & Community Development, the SYEP gives students a glimpse at careers in the healthcare industry by providing paid hands-on experience assisting with patient care, therapies and administrative work.

At the end of the program, select students were offered part-time jobs at their summer placement sites and other students were offered full scholarships to CUNY’s Medgar Evers College.

This year, SYEP accepted 50 WF2 students to participate, contributing to a New York City-wide initiative to provide 100,000 summer jobs.

The Holiday Sleep-Away Program (HSAP) and the Teen Holiday Sleep-Away Program (T-HSAP) held winter and spring sessions at Hands In 4 Youth (the home of Camp Vacamas) in West Milford, New Jersey. Sixty-nine children across both sessions attended the HSAP, geared toward kids age 8 to 12, who participated in a wide range of educational activities like sports, robotics and nature exploration.

The 37 teens, age 13 to 17, who attended the T-HSAP winter and spring sessions explored interests in technology and nature and continued to build personal development skills with high- and low-ropes challenge courses, archery, hiking and movie nights. T-HSAP participants also joined in big brother/big sister mentorship activities with HSAP participants, including partnering for team sports.

With the safety of our campers always in mind, we implemented new protocols for the 2022 season. Prior to attending, members needed to provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination for their child during enrollment or had their child take a PCR test or lab-analyzed rapid test within 72 hours of each session’s start and submitted negative test results to Hands In 4 Youth staff at departure.

Following a season of canceled or scaled-down program offerings, the Anne Shore Camp (ASC) team was excited to welcome kids and teens back last summer for full camp experiences at 19 camps operating across seven states along the East Coast. With the safety of our participants always our top priority, the camps followed state COVID-19 protocols throughout the summer.

After a very unconventional school year, 692 children attended two-, three- or four-week sessions for some much-needed time to unplug from electronics, get outside, explore interests and connect with new and old friends. At the end of the camp season, ASC conducted a satisfaction survey. According to member responses, 89 percent said their child enjoyed the camp experience, 93 percent said they were extremely likely to apply for ASC again and 95 percent said they would recommend the ASC program to other members.

Over the years, ASC participants have shown significant growth in leadership-skill development. As a result, participation in a camp’s leadership program has led directly to employment. Below are a few ASC alums who worked at camps in 2021:

• Quincy Dover served as Camp Director at Hands In 4 Youth.
• William Egle, Gavin Buchanan and Izhabelle Barlatier were counselors/employees at the Susquehannock Camps.
• Maiya Clark, Amit Puthan, Emenigi Arzu, Romeek Carr and Danyel Kenis work as staff (mostly counselors) at Camp Glen Brook.
• Skylar Clarillo was a counselor at the French Woods Sports and Arts Center.

While ASC’s summer 2022 application period is closed, we look forward to another exciting camp season this summer.

The 2021 Care For Kids Gala took place as a virtual fundraiser on Wednesday, December 8. The gala’s theme, “Child Care Strong: Strengthening Working Families,” encapsulated the work of the 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Corporation (CCC) during the COVID-19 pandemic and its continued mission to support our members and their families. Gala honorees included Dr. Dave A. Chokshi, then-Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; Henry R. Muñoz III, the former DNC Finance Chair and co-founder of SOMOS US; and Tim Wentworth, then-Chief Executive Officer of EverNorth.

In addition, CCC honored Schenna Tannis, RN, MSN, FNP, CCRN, WCC, Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, and other healthcare heroes who have played an important role in guiding us through this unprecedented health crisis.

The 2021 event raised over $400,000 for CCF and CCC programming. We were honored to be joined virtually by our distinguished guests and many of our colleagues and community members to reflect on the efforts and successes of the past year, and we look forward to holding our 2022 Gala in person at The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, on Tuesday, December 6. Save the date!