FALC’s 27th Annual Science Fair Earth – Air – Water – Fire – Space: “How Do the Elements of Nature Affect Us?”

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.

Youth Mentoring and Teen Programs Explore Interests and Prepare for Academic Success

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.

Highlights:

Overall, practice test composite scores improved an average of 136 points. Six students had an average improvement of 300 points or greater. One student increased their score by 440 points. The highest overall practice score reported in 2022 was 1520 (Manhattan student). The highest practice test composite score improvement class was Class 4 in Manhattan, with an improvement average of 212 points.

CCC President Rossmery Dais, Honoree Vivian Fox, SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry, Amalgamated Bank CEO Priscilla Sims Brown, NYC Councilmember Rita Joseph

Celebrating Our Families. Our Children. Our Future. 15th Annual Care for Kids Gala Recap

The 1199SEIU/Employer Child Care Corporation’s (CCC) 15th Annual Care for Kids Gala was held on December 6, 2022, at Chelsea Piers. The event’s theme was “Our Families. Our Children. Our Future.” reflecting our mission to provide necessary assistance to families urgently trying to balance their essential work with family life, and our commitment to creating opportunities for every child and family.

The event was chaired by Priscilla Sims Brown, President and CEO of Amalgamated Bank. In addition to hosting distinguished guests and community members, our gala honored Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU); Michael Dowling, President of Northwell Health; and Vivian Fox, Former President of the Child Care Corporation, for their work providing essential resources and care to the greater New York City community and putting working families first.

The event raised over $400,000 for Child Care Funds (CCF) and CCC programming. We were honored to be joined in person by distinguished guests and many of our colleagues and community members to reflect on the challenges of the past two years and celebrate our youth program participants’ accomplishments. Thank you to all who supported us this year, and we look forward to our 2023 event on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at Pier 59’s The Current.

To donate to our programs, please visit www.ChildCareCorp.org/donate.

WorkForce 2000 Shares the Arts with Students

WorkForce 2000 (WF2) has been slowly getting back into the groove of extracurricular events since the pandemic. In fall 2022, thanks to a fortunate school schedule, we were able to have three events in a short amount of time:

• The “MJ the Musical” trip took place at Neil Simon Theatre (250 West 52nd Street) on October 4. Twenty-five students and staff attended the epic play that chronicled most of Michael Jackson’s adult life as a performer.
• Students saw “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on November 8 at the Lyric Theatre located at 214 West 43rd Street. Because the show ended late in the day, parents accompanied students to and from the event.
• On November 30, we led a small group of 14 students to watch “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” at the AMC theater on 34th Street and 8th Avenue. It was particularly fulfilling since the staff led a group of students to see the first “Black Panther” film in 2018.

WF2 is a year-round program that helps students ages 14 to 17 prepare for college and explore career interests on a New York City college campus. With unique programming and workshops broken into two sessions, WF2 promotes youth leadership and development, fostering self-awareness, social awareness and independence.

1199SEIU Child Care Funds Featured on Fortune.com’s Childcare Podcast, “Where’s My Village?”

“Where’s My Village?” discusses the state of child care in the U.S. and its effect on women in the workforce and families, especially since the pandemic. An 1199SEIU member and pharmacist from Montefiore Medical Center, Efua Ghansah, shared the positive impact that child-care benefits have had on her family and her ability to work. Our feature starts at the 26:40 mark, but the whole episode is worth a listen. You can access the podcast at the following links: Spotify and Apple.

FALC’s 26th Annual Science Fair: Water World vis-à-vis Climate Crisis

The Future of America Learning Center (FALC) kicked off its 26th Annual Science Fair virtually with our Preschool 1, Preschool 2 and Preschool 3 children showcasing sensorial learning on essential questions, including “How do we explore water through our five senses?”; “What’s wrong with the coral reef?”; and “How does climate change affect the water system?” Preschool 4 and UPK 1, UPK 2, and UPK 3 children presented over the following two days on topics such as “How is water essential to our lives and the environment?”; “How do droughts and floods affect our environment?”; “Why is water important?”; “How does water affect nature, animals and humans?” and “How does glacier ice melting affect sea level?”

FALC staff detailed the science fair’s history as a longtime staple of our curriculum and family engagement activities, creating a special time and venue for children to show their peers and families their scientific discoveries, planning and learning. The event has always been an opportunity for children to explore and engage not only with their classmates and teachers but also with their families on projects that promote critical thinking, preparing a hypothesis, conducting experiments to test theories and confidently and expressively presenting their findings.

The children’s presentations covered an array of multi-sensorial styles, including live experiments, pre-recorded home presentations, virtual classroom tours, showcases of action research and class experience, demonstrations of STREAM as a center and as individual classrooms, bilingual exhibits, and live song and movement activities. These authentic experiences and discussions help promote critical thinking and compassion among our youngest scholars, helping them make sound choices and plans to better serve the greater community and humanity.

FALC Unveiled STREAM Learning Lab

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.

Youth Programs Prepare Teens for Success

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.

Throughout the summer, students explored these professional development topics:
SAT scores had a baseline average of 1075, while the average practice test score was 1118. Udantha Panditha achieved the highest score of all participants, with a 1570. The 2021 program offered a free add-on service to encourage participation and give students additional support with SAT Prep homework.

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.

Throughout the summer, students explored these professional development topics:
Professionalism Prioritizing Responsibility Time Management Communication Skills Multiple Intelligences Setting Goals Self-Awareness College Readiness

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 Programs Sparks Educational Adventures

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 each session, members completed a HSAP and T-HSAP satisfaction survey. Some highlights include:
92 percent said their child liked/loved his/her camp experience.
90 percent said it’s likely/extremely likely they will apply for the program again.

Anne Shore Camp Helps Kids Explore Nature While Learning

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.