“I organized this Community Resource Fair for a few reasons,” Joseph said. “Because of COVID, many parents still do not come in the building. Even on the day of the event, I had several parents asking me if it was really OK to come in. Secondly, I wanted families to be able to learn more about community resources that are available to them.”
New York City Poison Control Center had many resources available for families to use.
The organizations that had information tables were: Beanstalk Childcare Academy, BED-STUY Community Partnership Program, Metro Plus Health, New Directions substance abuse program, New York City Commission on Human Rights, New York City Health + Hospitals Gotham Health, New York City Poison Control Center, St. Nick’s Alliance, The Brooklyn Hospital Center, The Family Center, Womankind, and the Women’s Prison Association.
These ladies had the opportunity to talk about community housing. “A recent partnership we created is with Beanstalk Childcare Academy,” Joseph said. “They provide childcare services nearby, so it is convenient for our families to work with them and will hopefully be even more helpful in the summertime.”
Another group Joseph works closely with is BED-STUY Community Partnership Program. This organization provides resources and referrals to families in the community and hosts many events.
The Family Center information table had a lot of important information to distribute.
“I work with BED-STUY a lot,” Joseph said. “I participate in their events, like recently when they held a toy drive before the holidays. They gave out bags full of children’s books to community children. It gave them something extra to do during winter break.
These two staff people from Womankind were eager to talk with families.
“For us, holding an event like this is important to our current families so they know what services they can access,” Joseph said. “And it’s important for our school to be involved in the community too, so that other organizations know we are here serving local families. It’s a win-win for all of us.”
BED-STUY Community Partnership Program provides community resources and referrals to families.
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About Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School
Brooklyn Excelsior Charter School is a tuition-free, public charter school in Brooklyn, New York, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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