Programs: Harlem children's zone offers a comprehensive network of education, social-service and community-building programs across a 97-block area of central harlem. Harlem children's zone supports children from birth through college as well as working with the adults around them. The organization serves more than 13,000 children - most of whom go to traditional public schools and approximately 14,000 adults. The organization has been successful in teaching new parents how to engage with their children to optimize brain development, which sets the stage for later academic success. The baby college parenting workshops have graduated more than 6,000 parents and caregivers since it began in 2000. In the harlem gems pre-kindergarten programs, three- and four-year-olds attend an all-day, year-round program that teaches in english, spanish and french. In 2017, 100% of the children who completed the harlem gems pre-school program have been assessed as "school ready," as determined by the nationally recognized bracken scale assessment. We provide support for students in all the traditional public elementary schools within harlem children's zone after school program. We work with middle-school and high-school students through several after-school programs, making sure they are ready for college. The high-school programs offer personalized tutoring in math, science, history and other subjects; writing workshops; sat and act prep and tours of college campuses; and provide instruction in other fun, enriching disciplines. We have more than 860 students in college and to make sure they are successful, our college success office offers a variety of supports: tutoring, scholarships, financial aid counseling, time management classes, as well as resume-writing and interview workshops. Each student is assigned an advisor who stays in regular contact and visits the school to make sure the student is getting the supports they need and is staying on track for graduation. We also help students with getting workplace experience through paid internships in companies, health-care institutions, government agencies and non-profits as well as employing them to help with programs at hcz.
hcz has established two pioneering and award-winning beacon community centers, which transform public school buildings into community centers for children and adults during evening, weekend and summer hours. For students, these centers provide critical academic supplements and personalized tutoring, as well as a safe, enriching place to spend their out-of-school hours. The centers provide tutoring, test preparation, arts and sports programs. For adults, the centers offer recreational and sports programs. Overall, the centers are a sorely needed resource in neighborhoods that are bereft of places for children and adults to gather, have fun, learn new skills and improve their fitness.
scientific research has shown conclusively that the very first years of a child's life are of enormous importance to brain development and chances for academic success. That is why at hcz early childhood education is the critical starting line for our children in their journey to college graduation. Our early childhood programs offer a holistic combination of educational support and services that coach parents to facilitate their child's healthy development, encourage strong parent-child bonds, promote literacy-rich interactions, and prepare children to enter kindergarten fully ready for school. The baby college gives expectant parents and parents of children ages 0-3 a strong understanding of child development and the skills to raise happy, healthy babies through workshops and home visits. The baby college grads program deepens parents' understanding of child development and their relationships with their children, also through workshops and home visits. Hcz created the three-year-old journey program to continue the parenting-skills development through parent workshops and group activities for children. The final step in our early-childhood pipeline, harlem gems offers a high-quality, year-round, full-day pre-kindergarten program that ensures that every student enters kindergarten school-ready.
