Building Blocks

By Amanda McKeon

In the wake of last week’s storm, so many of our clients, along with all of our programs and many of our staff, were left without power. For many New Yorkers, the storm imposed a whole new set of challenges—especially here in Lower Manhattan.

Despite the lack of power though, many came together to help here at the Educational Alliance. On Wednesday, we began reaching out to clients in the Grand Street Co-Ops with staff and volunteers carrying food and water up darkened stairwells to reach some those who were literally left powerless by Sandy’s wrath.

Read more

By Amanda McKeon

Our latest installment of links features stories on college readiness in NYC, the importance of investing in children, and the history of our neighborhood, the Lower East Side.

“2012 Infographic: Keeping Track of New York City’s Children” (Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York)

“Report: Neighborhood Affects College Readiness” (SchoolBook)

“History Meets Opportunity” (New York Times)

By Amanda McKeon

In this week’s round-up, we’re featuring stories on New York City’s new “Parent Academy,” the connection between jobs and education, and new exercise and activity guidelines for young children.

“Chancellor Unveils Long Awaited Parent Academy” (SchoolBook)

“Jobs Require More Education, Training: Achieve And Society for Human Resource Management Survey” (Huffington Post Education)

“Three Hours of Daily Exercise Recommended for Kids Under 6” (Parents Magazine)

This summer and fall, I was lucky enough to have a fantastic intern – Malin Bergman – working with me in the Financial Resource Development department.  As Malin and I got to know each other better, I was struck by her commitment to working in the nonprofit sector – and by the story of how she wound up working with the Educational Alliance.  Since Malin is a wonderful writer, I asked her to share her story in her own words, in the hopes of maybe inspiring a few others to follow in her footsteps. With that, I’ll hand this post over to Malin.

-Amanda Brandes

Read more

By Amanda McKeon

This week’s round-up of links features a range of stories including a compilation of positive health and wellness stories, an examination of the value of arts education in after school programs, and a look at the challenges schools face in getting kids to eat healthy lunches.

“10 Of The Best Health News Stories Ever” (Huffington Post)

“Latest Issue Brief: Arts Enrichment in Afterschool” (Afterschool Alliance)

“New Nutrition Rules for Kids’ Meals: “Failure to Lunch” (Health Magazine)

By Jules Cohen

As September comes to a close, so does Recovery Month. But there are some lasting lessons to take away for the rest of the year.

For many people, a celebration means drinking alcohol, spending huge amounts of money (that they don’t even have), gambling, using drugs, having a huge party—the list goes on.

This can make it difficult to recognize the achievement of recovery. At the same time though, recovery IS important to celebrate! Who said that celebration can’t be constructive?

Read more

By Jeanette Herrera

School in New York City is back in session, and as usual, it’s a busy time with parents scrambling to purchase school supplies, keep up with the latest trends for their kids and adjust to new and busy schedules.  But these things seem very miniscule when other worries begin to surface:  Have I chosen the right school for my child? Will my child have a positive experience at school? Will my child have access to an after-school program this year?

Read more

By Amanda McKeon

Students in New York City headed back to school this week, and so for our latest installment of suggested links, we’re featuring stories on the new school year, after school, and early child education.

“Firsthand Reports on First Day of School” (SchoolBook)

“Celebrating “Back-to-School”… (or Not)” (Jobs for the Future Blog)

“Uncertain Times: Afterschool Programs Struggle in Aftermath of Recession” (Afterschool Advocate)

“Smart Start? Will Preschool Budget Cuts Damage A Generation” (Huffington Post)

By Liz Trout

Even though I have been out of school for (cough) years now, when summer begins to wind down, I go through a mixed array of emotions: sadness that those sunny days and warm nights are about to be a thing of the past, yet also excitement for new jeans, football season, and the future ahead. It is true that when one door (or the community pool) closes, another door (or Halloween stores) opens. I try to use this old adage as much as possible in my daily life, because, somehow, it always rings true.

Read more

By Amanda McKeon

Our latest installment of recommended links features an article with tips for beating summer slide, a look at the expansion of after school programs through intermediary organizations, and a piece on optimism’s impact on health.

“Summer learning: Can parents prevent the slide and the burnout?” (Washington Post)

“Summer Learning Can Help Close The Achievement Gap” (National Summer Learning Association)

“Intermediary Organizations Increasingly Important in OST” (Education Week)

“How to Make Optimism Work for You” (New York Times)