Positive Character and Health Development
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 Cornerstone Community Center
57-10 Beach Channel Drive
Arverne, NY 11692
718-577-5260
Parsons Beacon
158-40 76th Road, Room B29
Flushing, NY 11366
Phone: 718-820-0760
Contact: Eva Miranda Ortiz evamirandaortiz@childcenterny.org
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
Restorative Justice Programming
Contact: Rachelle Valbrun rachellevalbrun@childcenterny.org
Restorative justice principles and techniques are integral to all Child Center of NY Youth Development programs, particularly Community Schools, Beacons, Cornerstones, and special programs. They are based on building strong relationships and respecting and valuing all members.
Through a Tier 1 focus, sites build practices that create a sense of cohesion, community, and connectedness. Students work on building and strengthening relationships, including through restorative justice circles. Time is spent getting to know each other on a deeper level. Every voice is respected and valued as an essential part of the broader program community.
Some sites also incorporate Tier 2 practices, which focus on applying restorative methods such as problem-solving, discipline, and addressing conflicts constructively. Individuals who have caused harm have an opportunity to repair relationships and make amends, and people who have been harmed have a voice in expressing the impact on their lives and determining how to resolve the conflict. This is regarded as a constructive and more equitable response to resolving youth issues. Rather than focusing on what rules have been broken, restorative justice circles or conferences identify who has been hurt and what must be done to repair the harm.
Our dedicated and compassionate team members are highly skilled in a range of restorative justice practices. Whether focusing on community-building or conflict resolution, they emphasize a commitment to helping participants understand their role within the program community. We strive to equip them with effective problem-solving skills, fostering a deep commitment to the principles of restorative justice and empowering participants to embrace these values.
Program Goals:
- Team members model and implement restorative justice approaches.
- Train participants in restorative justice approaches to strengthen community relationships and/or resolving conflicts and equip youth to resolve conflicts using restorative justice principles on their own.
- Provide prosocial leadership and social-emotional learning (SEL) opportunities for youth.
- Build a supportive community for all students.
- Participants learn leadership, resiliency, and conflict resolution skills.
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 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 the ScholarCentric Academic Risk Index.
- 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 result is 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.
My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper Youth Council
Youth Development Institute
22 Cortlandt Street 33rd Floor
New York, NY 10007
Phone: 917-993-7168
The MBSK program gives teens the tools and the platform to work on a specific policy and present a plan to city officials. Together with the Youth Development Institute, The Child Center provides MBSK members with training in such areas as public speaking, policymaking, research, and problem-solving. The MBSK is teaching government and citizenship through hands-on policymaking, inspiring teens to be knowledgeable, empowered, and active citizens, poised to make an impact in their communities.
- Program Facilitator: Rachelle Valbrun
- Hours: Meets weekly within regional hubs and monthly as a larger group
- Ages accepted: 14-21
- Admission criteria: High school students interested in civic engagement
- Public transportation: E train to World Trade Center or R train to Cortlandt Street
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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