SCO News

Governor Cuomo Awards SCO Grant for After-School Programs

July 18, 2014 / Independent Youth News

We're thrilled to be among the organizations awarded funding by Governor Cuomo for after-school programming in the 2014/2015 school year. The grant will help SCO continue to provide quality after-school programming for youth as part of our community school programs in Brooklyn. Read the full press release from the Governor Cuomo's Office below:

Fun in the Sun at SCO — Summer 2014

July 14, 2014 / Independent Youth News

Summer is in full swing across SCO. Check out highlights from a few of our programs below. Children at the Jerome Hardeman Early Childhood Education Center in East Elmhurst, Queens ham it up for the camera while playing on the center's rooftop playground.

SCO Family of Services Elects Four New Board Members

June 26, 2014 / SCO News

(June 26, 2014 - Brooklyn, NY) SCO Family of Services, one of the oldest and largest human service nonprofits in New York, elected four distinguished New York City business and civic leaders to the SCO Board of Directors at its June 24th meeting. The new Board members are: Timothy L. Fulton, President T&T Scrap, LLC Peter J. Madonia, Chief Operating Officer, The Rockefeller Foundation Maulin P. Shah, Portfolio Manager, Balyasny Asset Management Mitali V. Sohoni, Managing Director, Structured Credit, Citibank, N.A.

Congrats 2014 SCO Grads!

June 24, 2014 / Independent Youth News

Each year, SCO's alternative, residential and special education schools educate 1,100 youth. This month, we are proud to celebrate our June 2014 graduates, the academic achievements of all of our students, and the dedicated staff who help them succeed. Congratulations to students and staff at our three transfer high schools (Bronx Arena High School, East Brooklyn Community High School and North Queens Community High School), Madonna Heights School, The Christopher School, Theresa Paplin School, Tyree Learning Center and Westbrook Preparatory School! Read highlights from each school below (or click the links above to jump to content).

FirstStepNYC Leadership Institute hosts Early Education Career Panel Dinner

June 20, 2014 / SCO News

The Early Education Leadership Institute at SCO's FirstStepNYC held its first Career Panel Dinner on June 17th to engage and develop early childhood leaders citywide. Panelists included: Steven Antonelli, Center Director, BankStreet Early Headstart Gail Gordon, Adjunct Faculty at BankStreet and Hunter School of Social Work Sophia Pappas, Executive Director, DOE Division of Early Childhood Education Laura Ensler, Director, FirstStepNYC Leadership Institute Ina Solomon, Education Administrator, Instruction and Performance, DOE Division of Early Childhood Education Helen Frazier, Master Teacher, FirstStepNYC John Borrero, Director of Education and Disabilities, Administration for Children’s Services

Congrats North Queens Community High School student Rumena Begum

June 16, 2014 / Independent Youth News

“I feel so accomplished. I made it. It’s a happy feeling,” says Rumena Begum, who will graduate from SCO’s North Queens Community High School upon passing her final two Regents exams. Rumena has earned the right to be happy. Not long ago, graduating seemed nearly impossible: After two years of high school, she had earned a grand total of just two credits. Forty-four are needed to graduate. At her old school, Rumena started cutting classes to spend time with her friends. Her attendance was poor. At the pace she was going, she risked not graduating. Then she came to North Queens.

Congrats East Brooklyn Community High School grad Darren Scott

June 16, 2014 / Independent Youth News

On a recent visit to East Brooklyn Community High School where he graduated in December, Darren Scott, 19, was greeted with hugs and high fives from students and staff. He had become a real leader in the school since arriving in September 2012. In his former high school, Darren got into frequent trouble – fighting, cutting class, being disrespectful to teachers. One day, Darren’s SCO Family of Services foster care caseworker, Eric Turner, told him about East Brooklyn Community High School, a transfer school run by SCO and the NYC Department of Education. Eric described a school that gives kids like Darren a second chance - a smaller school with a caring staff that gives students who are struggling the opportunity to earn credits faster.

Joan Kuo, Director of FirstStepNYC at Pre-K Day of Action kickoff

June 16, 2014 / SCO News

Joan Kuo, Director of SCO’s FirstStepNYC early childhood center in Brownsville, Brooklyn speaks at Mayor de Blasio’s Pre-K Day of Action kickoff at the Department of Education. For more, visit https://sco.org/pre-k.

Congrats Bronx Arena High School grad Annette Hankins

June 16, 2014 / Independent Youth News

Bronx Arena High School student Annette Hankins will walk across the stage on June 26th to accept her diploma, an astonishing accomplishment. At age 20, Annette lives in an apartment in Soundview with her fiancé, Jason, son Tayvon (4), and daughter Neveah (2) - and she is pregnant with their third child, due in August. Completing high school while pregnant with two young children would be difficult for most people, impossible for some. But Annette turned her responsibilities into motivation. “It’s not about me, it’s about my kids,” she explained. “I wanted more for them. I wanted them to have what they needed. I knew education was the key.”

We have pre-K seats available in Brooklyn & Queens!

June 12, 2014 / SCO News

Four of SCO’s Community-Based Early Childhood Centers (CBECC) in Brooklyn and Queens have pre-kindergarten seats available! For more information on securing your child’s spot in one of our free full-day pre-K programs, parents can contact the individual centers directly using the contact phone numbers below. Parents are urged to apply by June 26th to find the best option for their child.