2020-2021

Annual Report

DEAR KCC COMMUNITY ...

It is important to reflect on the bright spots of a school year that was like no other.

Despite the difficulty and chaos of these past months, our school community remained strongand forward-looking. KCC continued to provide high quality early childhood special educationservices to children and families in some of NYC's most underserved neighborhoods.

The social and racial inequities laid bare last summer brought advocacy and equity, which havealways been important aspects of our work, to the forefront. Throughout this past year, KCChas worked to translate concern into action.

Many of our families faced food and housing insecurity, medical emergencies, and othercritical needs. Also essential was the need for hardware and WiFi, so that our students couldcontinue learning while staying home.

In the face of these many challenges, the KCC community rose up to help. Our Board ofDirectors, led by Chair Michael O'Conor, launched a campaign to provide iPads to every familywho needed one. Staff volunteered to pack "School in a Bag" kits with supplies families neededto become teachers and therapists at home. Catholic Charities provided cash assistance to helpKCC families with rent, food, and other essentials. The owner of our neighborhood Foodtownoffered to help families facing food insecurity. So many others, in ways big and small, made surethat the children, families and staff at KCC knew they were cared for.

As I look back on this year at KCC, the difficult times were always tempered by our caringand resilient community. From the strength and compassion of our medical providers, to thegenerous kindness of our Board of Directors, to the creativity and determination of our staffand families, we made it through together. Community is defined by the people who contributeto the whole. I am eternally grateful to each and every one of you who are part of the KCCcommunity. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

2Jeanne Alter, Executive Director

Approved by New York State Education Department as a Special

Education Preschool.·

Approved by the New York City Department of Health and Mental

Hygiene as a Day Care provider.·

Incorporated in New York State and registered as a 501(c)(3) charitable

organization.·

An affiliated agency of Catholic Charities of New York.

As a publicly funded nonprofit organization, KCC serves public schoolchildren who are placed in our program by their local New York CityDepartment of Education school districts. KCC is:

Kennedy Children’s Center (KCC) is dedicated to providing highquality education services to young children with developmentaldelays, in partnership with families and communities.

We accomplish this through child-centered, evidence-based instruction

that prepares each student to enter the New York City public school

system in the least restrictive environment possible.

We seek to support families with training, guidance, and advocacy, and

strengthen our school community through professional development

and collaborations with local human service organizations.

Our Mission

The Better Business Bureau

Guidestar (Gold Star Rating)

KCC is certified by:

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COVID-19 Response Timeline

September 2020:School year begins,

100% remote October 2020: Lowerinfection rates allowKCC to implement abiweekly hybridmodelDec 2020/Jan 2021:

Program returns to100% remote due to

climbing infectionrates in East Harlem

and West FarmsApril 2021: Program resumes biweeklyhybrid model

June 2021: KCCprepares for a July

summer sessionfully in person!

The 2020-2021 school year was like no other, as fluctuating positivity rates and evolving regulations ping-ponged KCC between remote, hybrid, and in-person services.

Throughout it all, the creativity of our teachers and therapists, and the partnership of our parents, keptchildren's learning at the forefront.

A Year of Transitions...

Whether at school or at home, KCC worked to provide the services ourstudents needed during the 2020-2021 school year

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2020-21 At A GlanceSpecial Education Preschool406 students enrolled between two school sites

212 students matriculated this year into NYCDOE Kindergarten programs

Grow Your Own (GYO) Workforce Development Program53 participants graduated from our special hybrid program

40% gained their teacher assistant certification by Fall 2021

despite testing delays caused by COVID-19

60% were already employed in an early childhood setting

by Fall 2021

Parent Support Programming53 workshops held at KCC, including 22 Spanish and bilingual workshops 

212 families advised on the transition to Kindergarten 

30 families received financial assistance through the Cardinal’s Fund 

86,306 healthy meals delivered directly to the homes of KCC students and

other eligible children between October 2020 and May 2021, in partnership

with local school food provider Red Rabbit

Over $140,000 raised at

our remote fundraiser to

repair & renovate our

Bronx site's rooftop

playground

$15,000 in cash cards

distributed through

Catholic Charities to

30 KCC families

experiencing hardship

due to COVID-19

86,000More than

Nutritious SchoolMeals Delivered Home

100% of our students exhibit delays in two or more areas of earlychildhood development50% exhibit characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder65% identify as Latinx; 24% identify as African-American32% come from bilingual households77%  of our students are male; 23% are female100% make progress and have fun learning!

150 students at our Manhattan site in East Harlem250 students at our Bronx site in East Tremont

We serve nearly 400 students between our two school sites.

KCC serves 100% public school children who are referredto our program by the New York City Department ofEducation’s Committee on Preschool Special Education.

We measure success in the progress that each of ourstudents make — both in school and beyond.

Our Students

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Special Education Preschool

We serve nearly 400 public school children between 3-5 years old

annually. Children are grouped into classes of 6, 8, or 12 depending

on each child’s individual needs. Classes are led by one certified

special education teacher and two teacher assistants. Our year-round

program runs Monday to Friday, 9AM–2:30PM.

Our curriculum focuses on purposeful play and learning experiences

that invite participation, encourage social and emotional

relationships, and engage the senses. Curriculum goals are aligned

with the NYS Pre-Kindergarten Foundation for the Common Core.

Related Therapy Services

KCC provides comprehensive related therapy services in all areas of

development, including individual and group speech, occupational,

and physical therapy, and behavioral counseling. Related Services are

part of each child’s mandated Individual Education Plan (IEP), and

services are recommended as part of the overall approach to

assisting each child to reach and retain skills in all areas of

development.

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Preschool Services

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Services

Our teachers are trained in the latest ASD techniques, such as

TEACCH and PECS, and address the specific intellectual, social, and

emotional needs of our students through the use of visual learning

aids and other methods shown to improve behavior and outcomes in

school and at home.

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Family Support Coordinators (FSC’s): Our FSC’s are an integral part of family services, helping parents with individual needs,

referrals to community resources, and an array of special disability services and benefits. Our

FSC’s helped more than 200 of our Turning Five parents apply for kindergarten this past year.

Family Support Programming

Led remote workshops in English andSpanishProvided cash assistance to over 100families facing in crisisReferred 75 families to emergency foodprogramsDelivered gift cards and/or Thanksgivingbaskets to 40 families with partnerFoodtown of East Harlem Referred 53 families to community partnerCUCS for help accessing public assistance,rental assistance, SNAP, SSI and more

In 2020-2021,KCC's Family Services Department...

Our Family Services Department provides support and training for parents and

caregivers to help them meet the unique demands of raising a child with special

needs. We provide parents with opportunities to participate in their child’s education,

help them understand their child’s needs, and support them through their parenting

journey. 

Family Workshops: Live on Zoom!

One of the few silver linings of the pandemic was the realization that

Zoom is an incredible resource for family training. KCC always offers

workshops in English and Spanish on a range of topics, as well as

specialized training for parents of children with autism. By transitioning

these workshops to Zoom, they have became much more accessible to all

our parents, many of whom do not live within easy traveling distance of

our school sites.

One of the best things about Kennedy has been the parentmeetings on Zoom. I've learned so much ... both from Kennedy

staff and from other parents. For example, last month at ameeting a father was talking about how he was teaching his

child not to hit. I was having the same problem with Chrissy, so Iused some of his advice and she has improved so much.

Parent Columbia, pictured top right with daughter Chrissy

[KCC's teachers] taught us how to bettercommunicate with [our son] and how to better use allthe tools that are around us. Even things like a toiletpaper roll that we can turn into a little monster, andnow that's something we can use to motivate him to

want to play with us and socialize and further hislearning...

Highlighting Our Parents

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Parents are always integral partners inlearning, but this past year they had tobecome teachers & therapists in their ownhome. We were proud to hear from someof our parents at our 2021 Virtual Benefit.

When I said "Lorenzo, you're going back to

school" he said "YES!" and when the bus

came to pick him up he didn't even look

back. I don't have to worry; I know he's in

good hands.

Arkis Adames and Jennifer Mejia. Their son, Arkis Jr., began as aremote student in December 2020

Lisa Berroa's son, Lorenzo, had a hard timeaccepting that iPads - normally a reward for goodbehavior - now had to be used for school work

Knowing that we have teachers andadministrators and therapists and sources in

general, tools in general, make us feel lessalone and like we're building a community.

GYO was always envisioned as a pipeline program, establishing a clearpathway for individuals with no previous experience in education towork their way toward full teacher certification.

With support from the Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation, in 2021KCC launched GYO 2.0, our college support program. We are helping 15GYO 1.0 graduates enroll at CUNY, apply for financial aid, and receivethe individualized support and wraparound services they need to gaintheir BA in early childhood education.

146 participants have graduated from the program (a 91% completion

rate)

65% have gained employment employed in the education field

61% have gained their teacher assistant certification 

Our Grow Your Own workforce development program enables aspiring

educators from low-income communities to gain their New York StateTeacher Assistant Certification. In addition to workshops, job training

and professional development, participants benefit from a mentored

internship experience in KCC's classrooms.

When our schools shut down in March 2020, we pivoted GYO to a fully

remote program so that we could continue offering this opportunity to

aspiring educators.

S INCE GYO WAS ESTABL I SHED IN 20 1 7…

Grow Your Own (GYO)

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Completing the Pipeline with GYO 2.0

IN FALL 2019, our Bronx school's rooftop playground was closed due to wear and

tear on the play area surfacing that rendered it unusable for our students,

IN SPRING 2021, our community came together to raise over $140,000 to

reopen the rooftop and renovate it into an enriching and adaptive outdoor space

custom-designed for young children with special needs.

In addition to fundraising for a vital cause, the Kennedy Cares 2021 Virtual Benefit

was an opportunity to recognize the parents, staff, medical providers and Board

members who went above and beyond for our community during the worst of

the COVID-19 crisis.

Pictured at right: KCC recognized our own essential workers, the maintenanceand facilities teams at our two school sites. From top: Anthony Concepcion,David Johnson, Sergio Gaytan, Miguel Cabral and Terence Watters.

Kennedy Cares 2021

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Virtual fundraising for our Rooftop Playground

Thanks to support

from our donors,

our Bronx Playroof

renovations are set

to begin in Fall 2021

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Leadership & Staff

Jeanne Alter, Executive Director Mary McKillop, Associate Executive Director Carolyn Cleveland, Chief Operating OfficerBhupendra Shah, Finance Director 

Kristy Chau, Education Director (Manhattan) Geraldo Feliciano, Education Director (Bronx)Diane Fitzpatrick, Director of Quality AssuranceNancy Hirsch, Director of Family ServicesBrigid McCrory, Curriculum DirectorVictorio Milian, Human Resources Consultant Joseph Spanberger, IT DirectorTristan Dulangon, Director of Physical TherapyJulie Morris, Director of Speech TherapyChaimaa Regragui, Director of Occupational Therapy

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Randolph AmengualEvan EnnisJoseph GannonJohn GibbonsAdam GoldsteinVijay JesraniAndrew KrausEdward LindenKenneth Lohsen

Michael O’Conor, Board ChairClara OrnesShruti PatelSalvatore PiscopoMatthew RaimondiPola Rosen Ed.DMelissa SalernoLaura ShanleyRev. Msgr. Kevin Sullivan

At the 2021 Kennedy Cares Digital Benefit, our newest BoardMembers shared their reasons for joining KCC's leadershipteam in the midst of a pandemic. Clockwise from top left: Vijay Jesrani; Laura Shanley; EvanEnnis; Matt Raimondi; Shruti Patel; Edward Linden

While our preschool program is publicly-funded, private funding makes possiblevital services like nutrition programming,

our Saturday Play Program, and the GrowYour Own workforce program.

We want to thank the following

Foundation and Corporate Donors for their support in 2021:

The Stella and Charles Guttman

FoundationThe Robin Hood Foundation

Catholic Charities of New YorkAB Global

The TD Charitable FoundationPaycom

Interaudi BankCorporate Synergies, Inc.

Brown and Brown of Garden CitySterling National Bank

The May Foundation TrustXerox

Agency RevenueService Fees from Government ContractsGovernment Grants (IDEA)Contributions

Corporate DonorsFoundation GrantsIndividual Donors

Investment IncomeTotal Revenue

Agency ExpensesSalariesEmployee BenefitsContracted Health ServicesRent, Utilities, Program & Other SuppliesFundraising ExpensesOther ExpensesTotal ExpensesSurplus (Deficit)

$16,350,312$372,065$622,873$255,822$195,400

$171,651$8,081

$17,353,331

$10,969,455$3,009,525

$638,303$1,292,062

$46,149$2,706,418$18,661,912

($1,308,581)

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FinancialsFiscal Year 2020-2021(July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021)

NOTE: At the close of FY21, KCC was owed approximately $1.8M inretroactive payments from the New York State EducationDepartment.

Kennedy Children’s Center is a proud affiliate of

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York

KCC Manhattan2212 Third Avenue, 2nd FloorNew York, New York 10035

KCC Bronx1028 East 179th Street

Bronx, New York 10460

Visit Us Online at www.kenchild.org

facebook.com/KennedyChildrensCenter

@kennedychildrenscenter

@kennedy_child

linkedin.com/company/kenchild