Positive Character and Health Development


At J.H.S. 226, Beacon program participants planted a “peace garden” as part of their service learning project.

The Child Center of NY empowers students to be responsible and active citizens. We do this by providing and promoting opportunities to contribute to the local community at all our programs, as well as through specialized programs on topics such as sexual health and service learning. These programs help equip young people with the knowledge, emotional support, and critical thinking skills that help them grow into adults who are committed to giving back to their communities and able to rely on their own good judgment.


Comprehensive Pregnancy Prevention Program

45-10 94th Street
Elmhurst, New York 11373
Phone: 718-271-1487 ext. 5462
Additional sites in Far Rockaway and Jamaica

  • Senior Program Director: Rachelle Valbrun, rachellevalbrun@childcenterny.org
  • Hours: Monday—Friday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • Services provided: CAPP provides comprehensive, age-appropriate, evidence-based, and medically accurate sexuality education to promote healthy sexual behaviors including abstinence, delaying the onset of sexual activity, and reducing the practice of risky sexual behaviors among youth. The workshops are for youth ages 10-21 in specific targeted communities (zip codes 11373, 11368, 11434, 11433, 11692 and 11691).
  • Special services: Peer leadership, community service learning
  • Ages accepted: 10-21
  • Languages spoken: English
  • Public transportation: Subway—7 train to Junction Boulevard

RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities)

Ocean Bay RBI
Ocean Bay Cornerstone Community Center
57-10 Beach Channel Drive
Arverne, NY 11692
718-577-5260
Parsons RBI
Parsons Beacon
158-40 76th Road, Room B29
Flushing, NY 11366
Phone: 718-820-0760
Contact: Eva Miranda Ortiz evamirandaortiz@childcenterny.org
Roosevelt Island Beacon at P.S./I.S. 217
645 Main Street
Roosevelt Island (Manhattan), NY 10044
Phone: 718-577-5751
Contact: Ricardo Turenne ricardoturenne@childcenterny.org

RBI is an initiative of Major League Baseball, in partnership with community-based organizations. Since 2015, The Child Center of NY has been an RBI community partner, providing young people, ages 6-14, in our communities the opportunity to experience the game of baseball and develop the values that go along with it.

Our three RBI programs provide:

  • An introduction to the game of baseball
  • Baseball activities
  • Baseball instruction
  • Skill building and development
  • Fun and instructional clinics
  • Coaches and other adults who serve as relatable mentors
  • An emphasis on the values of teamwork, self-discipline, dedication, and sportsmanship through baseball

In addition, our Roosevelt Island RBI program has a strong league presence with competitive play.

The Child Center is a proud community partner of the NY Mets, and RBI participants will have occasion to engage with MLB players and other personnel from the New York Mets.

Further Reading
Youth Baseball League in Far Rockaway Kicks Off
Five local teams invited to All-Star Youth Classic, The San Diego Union-Tribune
Issaih’s Story


Steps to Success

Available at all afterschool programs for middle schoolers
Contact: Tiffany Tacury Associate Vice President of Youth Development, tiffanytacury@childcenterny.org

The Child Center of NY is proud to offer the evidence-based Steps to Success curriculum at all eight of our SONYC afterschool programs for middle schoolers, as well as our Beacon and Cornerstone centers. S2S tracks the six resiliency areas aligned with high school graduation: valuing education; academic confidence; positive connections; stress; health and well-being; and intrinsic motivation. Our S2S teams holistically support middle schoolers’ academic and social-emotional skill development to ensure students have the tools and support they need to excel in these areas. The goal of S2S is to improve graduation rates by providing:

  • Risk Assessment: via ScholarCentric’s Success Highways Resiliency Assessment.
  • Steps to Success Class: Our unique S2S class combines academic and personal goal setting; resiliency building; education on selecting and applying to competitive high schools; and college and career exploration.
  • Mentorship: Students identified as at-risk on the Resiliency Assessment work intensively with a youth advocate.

The Child Center constantly measures results to ensure we are truly moving the needle for the people we serve. In our 2020 S2S assessment, 89% of students considered “at risk” improved in at least one resiliency area; 60% improved in all six areas. That’s hundreds of individual young people who now have a better shot at graduating from high school and going on to live healthy, fulfilling lives.

Steps to Success is made possible at The Child Center of NY with funding from Sterling National Bank Charitable Foundation.


Stop the Violence Peer Leadership Program

Violence Prevention, Leadership Promotion

Civic Leadership Academy
45-10 94th Street
Elmhurst, NY 11373
Phone: 718-271-1487
Beacon Center at J.H.S. 226
Virgil Grissom Middle School
121-10 Rockaway Blvd
South Ozone Park, NY 11420
Phone: 718-322-0011

The Child Center’s Stop the Violence Peer Leadership Program provides middle schoolers with training in restorative justice approaches to resolving conflicts. Restorative justice is a constructive and more equitable response to resolving youth issues, such as interpersonal conflicts or breaking rules.

Peer leaders—called peacekeepers—tackle real-life situations such as bullying, violence in the community, and homelessness, and work with their peers to develop solutions. These efforts prove successful because they come from credible messengers—the youth themselves. Participants come to see themselves as leaders, able to make a difference.

Program Goals:

  • Train youth as restorative justice peer educators.
  • Provide a prosocial leadership and social-emotional learning (SEL) opportunity for youth during afterschool hours.
  • Promote the development of leadership skills that allow youth to plan, organize, and implement school and community events that teach restorative justice practices to their fellow students and community members.
  • Increase growth in resiliency skills measured by pre/post ScholarCentric’s Success Highways Resiliency Assessment. Improvements in resiliency correspond to reductions in risky behaviors and increases in enduring positive life outcomes.

We are grateful to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office for its anchor support of this program.


Youth Mentoring Initiative

With a grant from the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, YMI provides middle- and high school-age youth with positive role models in a safe, encouraging environment. The program’s overarching goal is to promote positive changes in young people’s attitudes toward themselves, the people around them, and their futures. To achieve this goal, our YMI staff assist youth in exploring college and careers, support them through school transitions or new school environments, cultivate an ethic of service to their communities, and encourage the development of leadership skills. Each participant is partnered with a mentor based on compatibility and meets with his or her mentor both in groups and individually.

Aspirations Diploma Plus High School
302 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11225
718-773-7765 Ext. 1072
Contact: Xavier Bishop

Parsons Beacon
Parsons Community School
158-40 76th Road, Room B29
Flushing, NY 11366
718-276-7728
Contact: Eva Miranda Ortiz

  • Hours: Varies by site; 90 minutes per week
  • Services provided: Development workshops, discussion groups, field trips, and mentorship
  • Admission criteria: Must be a site participant, fill out an application, and be selected for the program.

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