after-school program Archives - The Child Center of NY

This holiday season, our afterschool programs are encouraging kids to give back. Our programs celebrated the Thanksgiving season by raising awareness about hunger and homelessness.

During National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (November 15-23), the COMPASS program at P.S. 96 asked for an end to hunger and homelessness, not just in the community but nationwide. Throughout the week, kids watched videos and learned lessons on hunger, homelessness and philanthropy. They collected socks and canned food for a donation drive to help out, and they drew attention to the issue with an “X-OUT Homelessness” campaign. To raise awareness, students placed an “X” made of duct tape on their book bags, shirts or sweaters.

COMPASS program staff set an example of service by volunteering at the Masbia Soup Kitchen in Coney Island. They peeled, chopped and diced, preparing 480 pounds of vegetables that the soup kitchen will turn into delicious soups and dinner plates for the hungry. Continue reading →

Elisa Pimentel is starting her third year as the director of the after-school program at PS 89 in Elmhurst, Queens. She oversees a staff of 35 who teach dancing, art, and theme-based learning to 300 children in the afternoons throughout the school year, and during seven weeks of summer. Her students are mainly low-income and working class immigrants who collectively speak at least a dozen languages.

Our Staff: Elisa Pimental Elisa understands what they are going through. She is from the neighborhood. She attended PS 89 herself. When she was 17 and graduated high school, she started volunteering here in hopes that it would lead to an entry level job as a youth worker. The bet paid off, and within three months she was hired. Since then she put in years of hard work, and went up the ladder with promotions. In 2012 she earned her bachelor’s and is now a NYS certified teacher.