Hispanic Heritage Month was celebrated nationally from September 15^th through October 15^th to honor the histories, cultures and contributions of those whose roots stem from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.  In acknowledgement of Hispanic Heritage Month, LYFE Teachers, Educational Paraprofessionals, and Social Workers planned classroom activities, groups, and family experiences to encourage cultural discovery across LYFE sites citywide. The activities allowed LYFE student parents, their children and extended family members to take part in various learning experiences such as musical activities, artwork development, and read-a-longs.

As an example of the various activities and events held, check out how LYFE at Beach Channel High School celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month.

To prepare for their Hispanic Heritage Month celebration on Friday, October 10^th, LYFE children at Beach Channel High School made “Papel picado.” With hands-on guidance and instruction from LYFE caregivers, LYFE children were able to utilize their fine motor and coordination skills to paint and create artwork. Thereafter, LYFE student parents used their lunch hours to help decorate the LYFE classroom with their children’s handmade artwork.  In addition, the student parents supported the LYFE classroom by organizing materials such as Spanish to English books and identifying Spanish music for the celebration. Student parents also supported LYFE Teacher Peggy Diercks with writing and translating a speech to be delivered in both Spanish and English to welcome LYFE families to the “fiesta”.

A total of 17 attendees, including LYFE mothers and fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and close friends came out to the site to celebrate.  Families contributed to the celebration by bringing in dishes that complemented the menu of foods that student parents selected from a local Spanish restaurant. One grandparent brought in a wide-brimmed Mexico hat referred to as “sombrero” in Spanish for everyone to take pictures with. The highlight of the event was when the Beach Channel High School band visited the classroom and played three songs of Hispanic origin for LYFE families!

The LYFE team at Beach Channel High School’s thoughtful celebration is an excellent example of how LYFE engages families. In addition, the collaboration between the LYFE site and the High School community where the classroom is housed, speaks to one of LYFE’s Core Values – fostering a supportive environment within and beyond the LYFE program.

Visit the photo gallery below to view Hispanic Heritage Month photos from LYFE sites at: Beach Channel High School, Far Rockaway Educational Campus, Jane Addams High School, Long Island City High School, and Springfield Gardens Educational Campus.

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On September 16, 2014, LYFE participated in Dads Take Your Child to School Day in collaboration with the Mayor’s Fatherhood Initiative and its citywide partners, for the fourth year in a row.  This year LYFE added a twist to the celebration and broadened the focus of the day to include, celebrate, and acknowledge the important roles immediate, extended, and kinship family members play in the success of LYFE children, student parents and the LYFE program as a whole.  On this day we not only celebrated Dads Take Your Child to School Day but LYFE Family Day throughout all LYFE sites!

Across our 35 LYFE sites, over 250 family members (including moms, dads, grandparents and great grandparents) took part in LYFE Family Day. We are also proud to share that we had over 30 fathers participate on this day as a part of Dads Take Your Child to School Day.  Families had an opportunity to learn about their child’s participation in the program and meet LYFE staff. LYFE Teachers, Social Workers, Educational Paraprofessionals, and Family Workers came up with interactive activities and experiences for LYFE families to participate in such as: sing-a-longs, hands-on art experiences, interactive photo booths, and storytelling. These activities allowed for families to have fun with their children while also exploring the ways their children learn and grow in the LYFE classroom every day.  LYFE families were provided with LYFE tote bags for their participation in the day’s activities courtesy of the Office of School Health: Pathways to Success.  Check out the joy on our families’ faces in the photo gallery below.

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LYFE is proud to be a part of the citywide efforts to engage and empower families.  The dedication and investment of families in the growth and development of LYFE student parents and their children is surely to have a positive generational impact. LYFE is looking forward to providing more family engagement opportunities this school year!

Special thanks to the following LYFE sites for sharing pictures for this post:

• Beach Channel Educational Campus
• Bronx Regional High School
• Bushwick Educational Campus
• Grand Street
• Harlem Renaissance High School
• Hillcrest High School
• Jeffrey Tenzer Educational Campus
• Long Island City High School
• Louis D. Brandeis High School
• Pathways to Graduation- Downtown Brooklyn
• Springfield Gardens Educational Complex
• Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus
• Thomas Jefferson Educational Campus

On Thursday, June 26, 2014, the LYFE Program hosted its second annual “Let LYFE Inspire You” Student Parent Graduate Recognition Ceremony.  Across LYFE’s 36 sites, over 200 LYFE student parents graduated from New York City Department of Education high schools and programs in the 2013-2014 school year. The ceremony was a great success with approximately 190 guests including student parent graduates, their children, LYFE staff, and external partners in attendance to celebrate and recognize our student parents and their amazing triumphs.

Distinguished guests included, District 79 Superintendent, Tim Lisante and District 79 Deputy Superintendent, Robert Zweig. In addition, LYFE student parents and families received a keynote address from Fashion Model, Devyn Abdullah, who became a mother while still in high school before becoming the first official winner of “THE FACE”, Naomi Campbell’s reality TV modeling competition. Her story of determination was surely an inspiration to LYFE student parents who are moving forward to pursuing their  own career dreams and goals while also being great parents.

Here are a few highlights from our spectacular and inspiring evening…

• LYFE student parent, Rhonneil Cooper was awarded the LYFE Academic Achievement Award for her excellence in completing her high school education. Rhonneil graduated valedictorian of her graduating class at Bedford Stuyvesant Preparatory High School with a Regents Diploma in December 2013. She is currently studying nursing at New York City College of Technology.
• Gabriela Ramirez, a student parent from Brooklyn Lab High School was the recipient of the LYFE Inspiration Award which recognized her resilience toward academic achievement. Despite being displaced from her home, she continued attending classes and preparing for her Regents while bringing her daughter to LYFE. Gabriela will study cosmetology at Co-Op Tech in September 2014.
• Mynor Escobar & Jessica Ponce were the recipients of the LYFE Legacy Award which celebrates the family’s engagement and success as a family in LYFE. When LYFE student father Mynor Escobar and LYFE student mother, Jessica Ponce first enrolled in LYFE they were at risk of not completing high school and they both had many responsibilities as young adults and parents of two boys. Through their relentlessness and support to one another, Mynor is now a  high school graduate, employed as a chef and is currently attending Touro College. He was also honored with the 2014 NYC Dads Matter Award by Mayor de Blasio for his dedication as a father. Jessica is on track to graduate next school year. Her attendance improved dramatically this school year and she is succeeding academically, while improving her proficiency in English.
• The LYFE Team at Beach Channel High School was awarded the LYFE Staff Support Award which recognizes their diligence and commitment to LYFE families.  This team’s experience working for LYFE spans from 13 to 24 years.  They were recognized for their ability to foster a positive school culture and for going above and beyond to make sure student parents and their children are supported.
• Deirdre Arthur, Educational Paraprofessional from LYFE at Jane Addams High School also received the LYFE Staff Support Award demonstrating the profound impact an individual can have on families and the program as a whole.  Deirdre has worked for the LYFE Program for 27 years and has always demonstrated a strong commitment to student parents and their children.

Congratulations to the LYFE student parent graduates, to the LYFE award winners  and to all the LYFE staff members who helped these students reach their goals and realize their potential, academically and socially.

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Photo Credits: Max Stephenson, Randy Quarshie and Lucille Bass

On Thursday, June 12, 2014, LYFE student parent, Mynor Escobar, was honored as a  recipient of the 2014 NYC Dads Matter Award sponsored by The Mayor’s Fatherhood Initiative. The annual award ceremony recognizes ten New York City fathers who exemplify bravery, courage, and triumph in their lives while being extraordinary role models to their children and community. At the ceremony, Mynor was presented with the award by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who also shared an account of Mynor’s victorious story as a young man, son, father, and student.

Mynor was nominated for the award by LYFE teacher, Vivan Fleishaker who provided an inspiring account of his journey from being a 16- year- old new father and high-school junior determined to achieve success for his family. Despite various obstacles he faced over the past 3 years since enrolling in LYFE, Mynor remained a committed father and advocate for his sons, making sure they received necessary health service to improve their growth and development while also focusing on his education and maintaining gainful employment.

Given his determination and drive, Mynor worked his way up from a position as a dishwasher to a chef at a respectable restaurant. Mynor also obtained a CPR certification allowing him to contribute greatly to his community. Today Mynor is a high school graduate with two healthy sons and he is continuing his education at Touro College.

Receiving the 2014 NYC Dads Matter Award was truly well-deserved and well-earned recognition for Mynor. LYFE congratulates Mynor Escobar for his outstanding achievements and for being an inspiration for other young fathers.

Last month LYFE celebrated both National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5th through May 9th, followed by  National Educational Paraprofessionals Day on May 14th. To acknowledge the great work of our Teachers and Educational Paraprofessional our staff joined together with LYFE student parents to show appreciation for our awesome instructional teams. Teachers and Educational Paraprofessionals received heartwarming messages of thanks and tokens of appreciation from student parents.

The poem below, written by a student parent for the LYFE team at Beach Channel, perfectly describes the impact LYFE’s Teachers and Paraprofessionals have on creating a supportive environment for families.

 My caregiver is wonderful in many ways

She takes care and loves me every day.

I learn so much from her while my mom’s in school

Playing and having fun is her biggest rule.

She documents and plans for each day I’m here

She can make me laugh or she can wipe a tear.

Every day we do things to help me grow

Always expanded on what I know.

And when my mom comes at the end of the day

She knows I was cared for in every way!

Check out the photos below highlighting celebrations for LYFE Teachers and Educational Paraprofressionals at the following LYFE sites: Springfield Gardens Educational Complex, Beach Channel Educational Campus, Jane Addams High School for Academic and Careers, Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus, William Howard Taft Educational Campus, Far Rockaway Educational Campus, Hillcrest High School, Harlem Renaissance High School, High School for Environmental Studies and Morris Educational Campus.

We appreciate our Teachers and Educational Paraprofessionals and are proud of the quality of childcare and early childhood instruction they provide to children everyday and the support they provide to families.

LYFE Social Worker Jodi Kaltner represented District 79 on May 3, 2014 at a city-wide parent conference event, “Fostering Parent Leadership for Student Success” hosted by the NYC Department of Education in partnership with the Coalition for Educational Justice at the High School of Fashion Industries. Special guest speakers for the event were Chancellor Farina and Charlane McCray, wife of Mayor Bill DeBlasio. The purpose of the event was “to empower parents as leaders, and to reinforce the essential role of parents in their children’s academic success.”

Ms. Kaltner recounted that the Chancellor shared her memories of attending parent-teacher conferences with her mother who did not speak English and the impact of that experience on her life. Chancellor Farina expressed making parent-teacher conferences more accessible and engaging for all parents. Pitching the ideas of extended times and days of conferences along with having student-facilitated conferences as an initiative to encourage active participation of families at parent-teacher conferences. This concept closely aligns with LYFE’s facilitation of Parent Conference throughout the school year. LYFE’s goal has been for each site team to plan and implement meaningful Parent Conferences, based on scheduling that works for families, that encourage student parent voice and create an inclusive and accommodating environment, making it possible for not only parents to attend and participate, but extended family members and custodial guardians as well.

Ms. Kaltner, who enthusiastically participated in the different workshops offered, summed up the message of the conference that as parents and school staff, we must work collaboratively together to ensure the success of students. Ms. Kaltner also had an opportunity to speak with Chancellor Farina who shared that she is proud of all the work that takes place in our program and all District 79 programs.

We are glad to hear about the Chancellor’s thoughtful support of parent conferences as a way to improve family engagement and student success.

  Jodi Kaltner, School Chancellor Farina and Nicole Goren

On April 12, 2014, Diane Whitaker-Brown, LYFE Social Worker at Julia Richman and Long Island City High Schools, and 4 student parents from LYFE at Long Island City high school, spent the day participating in New York Cares Spring Clean-Up Day!

Ms. Whitaker has been volunteering with New York Cares since 1995 and is always seeking to inspire student parents and provide them with enriching experiences. Considering that New York Cares is an organization whose mission is to meet pressing community needs by mobilizing caring New Yorkers in volunteer service, Ms. Whitaker thought volunteering with her students would be a great opportunity and made arrangements for them to volunteer during their Spring Break.

The group was assigned to Jamaica Bay in Queens.  Together, along with other Long Island City High School students and Ms. Whitaker, LYFE student parents removed trash and waste to help beautify the beach and surrounding areas. At the end, the beach was nearly spotless and the students felt great about doing something nice for the community. The volunteers also appreciated getting to know each other better and sharing laughs.

The group even received a letter of special recognition from New York Cares and the American Littoral Society for Coastal Conservation. Ms. Whitaker and LYFE Long Island City student parents are certainly a great representation of LYFE’s core value of fostering a supportive environment!

4 LYFE students with 2 other Long Island City High School students

In light of National Social Worker Appreciation Month in March, LYFE’s student parents, teachers, educational paraprofessionals, and family workers teamed up and took time to make collages, host parties, and more, all in appreciation of the LYFE social workers at their site!  LYFE is very thankful for the support and advocacy LYFE social workers provide to families on a daily basis so LYFE wanted to truly celebrate the occasion to honor LYFE social workers’ contributions.  Check out a few of the thoughtful ways LYFE families and staff showed thanks to LYFE social workers throughout the month of March:

During Parent Teacher Conferences on March 27th, student parents at Harlem Renaissance came together and crafted messages on cut out hearts to express their appreciation and positive regards for their social worker, Mrs. Carla Finney-Pratt. The hearts were placed on a big collage and pictures of the student parents and their children were added. Mrs. Finney-Pratt, pictured below, has worked for the LYFE program as a committed change agent for young families for over 18 years. Her thoughtfulness and kind spirit has helped many families achieve personal and academic success. This gift of appreciation from her students and LYFE team at Harlem Renaissance is truly fitting for her efforts to support and nurture families’ success.

On March 19th, all team members and student parents at LYFE, at Morris Educational Campus, participated in a celebration to honor LYFE Social Worker, Jodi Kaltner, pictured below.  The site created a thank you board in which all student parents and staff members wrote a note of thanks to Ms. Kaltner.  Pictures of the student parents and their children were placed next to the notes. The group hosted a wonderful celebration with a bouquet of balloons, food, and dessert and presented Ms. Kaltner with a gift and flowers. Ms. Kaltner’s dedication and passion for supporting student parents in LYFE is truly remarkable. Ms. Kaltner is the social worker for both LYFE at Morris Educational Campus, as well as South Bronx Educational Campus. This show of appreciation from her thoughtful students and colleagues is well-deserved.

Check out additional pictures from Social Worker Appreciation Month in the slideshow below that honored LYFE social workers, Ana Martinez (Jane Addams High School for Academic and Careers); Cory Hattem (Hillcrest High School & Beach Channel Educational Campus); Darie Martin (Springfield Gardens Far Rockaway Educational Campus); Debra Collins Coote (Bushwick Educational Campus & Grand Street Educational Campus); Eve Weiskopf (Prospect Heights Educational Campus & High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology).

Thank you to all of our LYFE Social Workers and all social workers who are committed to advocacy, guidance, education and support.  The work of LYFE would not be possible without you. LYFE appreciates you!

During the week of March 24th– March 28th we celebrated Spirit Week throughout the LYFE program at all 36 of our sites! Spirit Week was celebrated as a way to foster student engagement and promote consistent attendance within the LYFE program and amongst LYFE families.  Each day of Spirit Week included a fun-filled theme to  to celebrate community within LYFE. Students and their children received movie tickets for their daily participation with attending and dressing up in the spirit of the themes.

Check out all of our spirit from Spirit Week March 24th- March 28th!

Monday, March 24^th– Pajama Day: LYFE staff, student parents and their children sported their favorite pajamas and showed off their sleepy time swag!

Tuesday, March 25^th-Twin Day: LYFE staff, student parents and their children dressed up as twins wearing the same outfit as one another.

Wednesday, March 26^th-Wacky Tacky Day: LYFE staff, student parents and their children dressed silly wearing mismatched socks, bright colors, or high-legged pants.

Thursday, March 27^th-Throwback Day: LYFE staff, student parents and their children showed off by styling in gear from their favorite era.

Friday, March 28^th-LYFE Spirit Day: LYFE staff, student parents and their children represented LYFE by dressing up LYFE colors — Green, Black, & White.

LYFE was full of life during Spirit Week.  Thanks to everyone who participated!

We are happy to share an important and fun update with you!

In February 2014, eight LYFE families were rewarded for having exceptional attendance. With the generous sponsorship from Walter Kaner Foundation and support of our District 79 Superintendent, Dr. Tim Lisante, these families received tickets to the Big Apple Circus for having the highest family attendance averages in their boroughs. The student parents’ school/program attendance and their children’s attendance in LYFE were reviewed to determine a family attendance average. The family attendance averages ranged from 81% to 93%. Selected families were from the following LYFE site locations:

• Franklin K. Lane High School
• Hillcrest High School
• Louis D. Brandeis High School
• Manhattan High School
• Morris Educational Campus
• South Bronx Educational Campus
• Springfield Gardens Educational Complex
• Thomas Jefferson Educational Campus

On February 20,2014, these families attended the Big Apple Circus at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. This experience helped to foster family engagement in LYFE while providing families with a meaningful experience together to celebrate their success. Gabriela Ramirez and her daughter Sabrina Ramirez were one of the families from Brooklyn who received tickets.  Their attendance average for the first have of the school year was 92%! Check out what they shared with us about their experience below.

“I really enjoyed it [the circus]. It was awesome being in the circus with my daughter. It was our first time at the circus. It was a good experience for my daughter to go. Sabrina is 2 and a half years old and she talks about going to the circus all of the time. Her favorite part was when the animals came out and there was a lady dressed like a princess. She really enjoyed seeing the lady dancing. Thank you again.”

Gabriela Ramirez and her daughter, Sabrina Ramirez @ LYFE at Franklin K. Lane

In LYFE, we know that consistent school attendance is critical for academic success. We are proud of our LYFE students for their relentlessness and focus on  education for themselves and their children.