Tag: New Settlement

BronxTimes | Op-Ed: Swimming resources are essential for our BIPOC communities

Posted on by
Photo via Getty Images

This summer, BIPOC Communities took tremendous losses in New York City because of the lack of knowledge in our community when it comes to swimming. Six New Yorkers have lost their lives due to drowning incidents this summer alone. Particularly, the West African community in New York City took several losses. In Assembly District 77, we have lost two members of our community to drowning. It is a shared duty to make sure that all communities are getting equal access to resources that allow them to learn how to swim.

Research based on CDC data reveals a disproportionate number of adults from the BIPOC community that lack knowledge when it comes to swimming and water safety. While 15% of adults nationwide report not knowing how to swim, 37% of Black adults face this challenge. Additionally, 55% of all adults have never taken a swimming lesson, with the numbers rising to 60% for Black adults and 72% for Hispanic adults. This disparity highlights the urgent need for affordable and accessible swimming and water safety resources in our communities.

The solution to bridging this gap to the lack of water competency is to bring our communities more affordable resources when it comes to swimming and water safety. The term water competency is used by researchers and non-profits to describes the ability to apply knowledge of water safety and survive in common situations to avoid drowning. The lack of water competency in BIPOC communities is what makes this a State of Emergency, not just nationally but particularly in New York City, especially in the Bronx.

In response to the statistics highlighting water competency issues in Assembly District 77 and the Bronx, I have made significant investments in programs aimed at increasing water safety and skills within our community. BronxWorks is a key organization providing affordable wraparound services, including swimming lessons for children, youth and adults. They offer both group sessions for kids and private lessons for adults, making water safety accessible to all. New Settlement is another invaluable resource, offering affordable swimming classes and lifeguard certification programs. Additionally, Roberto Clemente Park in the Bronx provides swimming lessons and is currently seeking lifeguards. These initiatives not only promote water competency, but also enhance employment opportunities within our community.

By expanding access to these resources, we can prevent further tragedies and ensure that every New Yorker, regardless of background, has the skills needed to stay safe in and around water. This is not just a matter of public safety; it is a matter of equity. We must continue to invest in and advocate for programs that bring water competency to our communities. Only then can we close the gap and protect the lives of our neighbors and loved ones.

Assemblymember Landon Dais represents New York’s 77th Assembly District, which is comprised of parts of Claremont, Concourse, Highbridge, Morris Heights and Mount Eden.

Originally published on August 26, 2024 by Assemblymember Landon Dais | BronxTimes

Gothamist | Low-income Bronx Families to Get Free Child Care for Young Children at 6 New Centers

Posted on by
Rigaud Noel - Executive Director, Robert Cordero - CEO of Grand Street Settlement, Vanessa L. Gibson - Bronx Borough President, Ritchie Torres - Congressman, holding up a sign commemorating Head Start/Grand Street Settlement/New Settlement collaboration.
Rigaud Noel - Executive Director, Robert Cordero - CEO of Grand Street Settlement, Vanessa L. Gibson - Bronx Borough President, Ritchie Torres - Congressman, holding up a sign commemorating Head Start/Grand Street Settlement/New Settlement collaboration.

Low-income Bronx families will soon have more child care options for their young children.

Six new Head Start centers will launch in the borough, with some facilities opening as early as this year, offering families with children up to the age of 5 free, year-round care.

Grand Street Settlement, a social services provider, told Gothamist it received $18.4 million from the federal government to expand its early childhood services in child care deserts around the city. The six new Head Start sites will open in the Bronx and another in Sunset Park to serve 583 children whose families fall below certain income levels.

“When the city catches a cold, the Bronx gets pneumonia, because of the lack of resources, because of the concentration of poverty,” said Robert Cordero, CEO of Grand Street Settlement. “Our strategy is, we should take our high quality childcare services to where they are needed and to build programs that address the needs of the whole family.”

Grand Street Settlement already runs Head Start programs in the Lower East Side and Brooklyn. Cordero said families in the Bronx have five times less access to a Head Start program than families in the Lower East Side.

Head Start is a federally-funded program and offers comprehensive services for children, but also for their families, including health, mental health care, assistance with housing, employment or education.

“When we engage with families like that on the upfront, it changes the entire trajectory of their life and their family’s life,” Cordero added.

Most New Yorkers can’t afford to pay for child care despite the city’s free programs for 3- and 4-year-olds. And child care costs are among the major factors driving young families out of the city. But the problem is more acute in the Bronx, where households in Mott Haven and Hunts Point spend as much as 63% of their income on infant and toddler care, according to the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York.

The nonprofit child advocacy group also found only 1% or less of families in those Bronx neighborhoods — where median annual income ranges from $30,000 to $43,000 — and others like Highbridge, East Tremont and Morrisania can afford to pay for infant and toddler care, based on federal affordability standards. Federal guidelines say families shouldn’t pay more than 7% of their household income to care for one child.

Rigaud Noel speaking at Head Start conference at New Settlement Community Center
Rigaud Noel speaking at Head Start conference at the New Settlement Community Center

“Now families really don’t have to choose between daycare and food or daycare and paying their rent. This is really going to be a game changer for families that are really struggling,” said Rigaud Noel, executive director of New Settlement, a social services provider in the Bronx that will house one of the new Head Start programs run by Grand Street Settlement in its existing community center.

“Families really don’t get a break. And so this is really a moment of relief for them,” Noel said.

Early Head Start and Head Start is offered to children from birth up to 5 years old, with the goal of preparing them for kindergarten. Programs can be based in a center or can involve an educator visiting a child or a pregnant person’s home to work with a parent and provide services.

To qualify for Head Start, families need to earn below certain incomes. In New York City that means a two-person household earning $20,440 or less a year and a family of four earning $31,200 or less are eligible.

Willing Chin-Ma, chief operating officer for Grand Street Settlement, said while they ramp up to open all six Bronx sites, they will also partner with about two dozen existing providers that run programs in their homes or at locations and for children that would otherwise be eligible for Head Start.

That includes providing training for staff, bringing in mental health staff workers to conduct screenings, paying for teachers to go back to school and helping families apply for the services they need.

“Head Start is helping families stay in their communities, and boost with all this comprehensive wraparound service,” Chin-Ma said. “We’re targeting the areas where there are not enough child care centers.”

Chin-Ma expects all sites will be running by 2026. Families interested in applying for the new sites can reach out to Grand Street Settlement.

Originally published on July. 16, 2024 via Gothamist