Northside Center Highlights
As we celebrate our 60th anniversary of service to the Harlem community, we do so from a
position of strength and hope. Northside’s 110th Street and Central Harlem Clinics,
Therapeutic Early Childhood Center, and our new Susan Patricof Head Start Center are now
providing 2,000 children and families with ongoing mental health, educational, evaluation and
referral services. We are not only increasing the number of children and families served but
also the variety of services that we offer.
- In the fall of 2005, Northside opened the Susan Patricof Head Start Center.
- Located at 111th Street, between First and Second Avenues, the Center houses an Early Head Start Program (for children ages birth to three) and regular Head Start Programs (for children
ages three to five). The Early Head Start is the only program of its kind in Harlem. More than 200 low-income children, their families, and expecting parents will receive the best in early education and parenting services.
- Northside is also offering home-based components of Early Head Start. Northside staff visit
clients’ homes to provide 40 children and their families with free family-centered services that facilitate child development, support parental roles and promote self-sufficiency.
- In addition, Northside is operating two Early Head Start classrooms at The Albert and Mildred
Dreitzer Women and Children’s Center, a residential drug treatment program.
- Our budget grew to $13 million as a result of our rapidly growing programming. Northside Center now employs approximately 250 full and part-time staff and depends on volunteers who serve as interns, Foster Grandparents, etc.
- Northside’s reading specialists saw 17 children two times a week in the
39-week program at 110th Street. Next year, we hope to expand our
service to an additional 15 children. For the first time, Northside offered
remedial reading services after school to children who attend our West
135th Street Clinic.
- With the help of a Board member, Northside hosted a “College Night,”
where experts in college admissions held a seminar and disseminated
information for our students interested in attending college. This year,
students will receive one-on-one guidance counseling to help them
achieve that goal.
- Northside’s after-school program continues to offer special activities
including homework help, remedial reading and math tutoring, computers, arts and crafts, library
activities, field trips, Karate, and sports for our special needs children. Through the generosity of a
private donor, Northside also offers an after-school chess program and recently held our second annual
chess tournament.
- With the support of the World Childhood Foundation,
Northside continues a Creative Art Therapy Program for
sexually abused or at-risk children. This year, we went from
two to five groups, which meet over a 20-week cycle. Two of
the new groups were for boys.
- Northside’s Home-Based Crisis Intervention Program has
achieved great success in averting foster care placement for
96% of children involved in the program who are victims of
abuse, neglect, and domestic violence.
- We made an exciting change to our after school and
summer programs at our 110th Street Clinic, by
registering local neighborhood children along with our
special needs children in recreational and educational
activities. Children enjoy typical after school and
summer camp activities including sports, arts and
crafts, and field trips in conjunction with sessions in
remedial reading and in group socialization. A valuable
result of inviting neighborhood children was that a
number of them were identified as in need of clinical
services that we could provide.
- Gifts by donors allowed all our summer program
children to visit a bookstore and purchase books
for their home libraries.
Your continued confidence in Northside Center will allow us to enhance our programs and enrich the lives
of the children and families from East and Central Harlem.
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