CPC Queens School Age Child Care Center Leads the Trend for Increased School Day and After School Partnership

A balance of day school education, after school assistance, enrichment and access to community resources is becoming the new norm for child development today. Over the years the NYC Department of Education has been increasingly reaching out and partnering with community based organizations (CBOs) to provide their students with more opportunities to vulnerable student populations. Traditionally, CBOs were seen as outside vendors providing after-hours activities for the students. The newly strengthened partnerships between NYC's schools and CBOs is in response to a growing recognition that disadvantaged youth need more resources to succeed. The resources needed go beyond what a school or CBO can provide individually. 

CPC has been running the Queens School Age Child Care Center (SACCC) in John Bowne Elementary PS20 for 28 years. Queens SACCC Director, Lois Lee, has been working with the school's administrators to connect resources, activities and teachers from the day-school and after-school; bringing the best of both worlds into the CPC program and the students in it. 

"Her staff is considered my staff, and my staff is considered her staff," said PS20 Principal Victoria Hart. With an office also located in the school, whenever a child in the CPC Queens SACCC program is having difficulty during the school day, all the teachers and administrators have to do is walk across the hall to figure out a joint effort to help the student during day-school and after-school. 

"The partnership between CPC and PS 20 is necessary for the educational success of the children, especially their social emotional growth. Our collaboration allows for a seamless transition from the school day to the afterschool hours. We are in constant communication with school administrators and staff which adds to a sense of community. CPC is embedded into the culture of the school." said Lois Lee. 

All of CPC's School Age Child Care programs have strong relationships with their host schools and hopes to continue our successful and much needed work together. 

To learn more about CPC's Queens SACCC contact Lois Lee at llee@cpc-nyc.org or 718-358-7602. 
To learn more about CPC's School Age Child Care Division contact Catherine Lee, Director of CPC School Age Child Care Division at clee@cpc-nyc.org.

To read the entire Education Weekly Article please click here 
Photo Credit to Mark Abramson, Education Weekly