The Children’s Aid Society is proud to announce an award of $3.75 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Adolescent Health that will fund innovative programming designed to prevent unwanted pregnancies and educate teenagers about the consequences of risky behavior. The programming, spread over five years, will target the South Bronx, the nation’s poorest congressional district, where rates of teen pregnancy and birth, sexually transmitted diseases, and foster care placements far exceed the national averages.
“All young people, no matter where they live, are equipped with enormous potential to succeed,” said Phoebe Boyer, president and CEO of Children’s Aid Society. “One of our highest priorities is making sure that teens have the knowledge and the health care to continue on the path toward higher education and truly realize that potential. This grant will help us deepen our work in the South Bronx, where we already have a firmly established presence, and help us in our pursuit of that goal.”
Through the grant, Children’s Aid will work with 1,360 youth at three locations in the Bronx’s Community District 3, representing about 15 percent of that youth population. The figure includes 600 youth in the foster care system, approximately 700 students from Bronx Prep Middle School and Bronx Prep High School combined, and 60 youth through an after-school program at Phipps Beacon Center. Some of the services these youth will receive include:
- academic supports in pursuit of high school graduation and college admission,
- financial literacy education,
- medical and reproductive health services,
- mental health services,
- family life and sex education,
- self-expression through the arts, and
- lifetime individual sports.
“This is an incredible opportunity to expand a program that has been proven to have a dramatic effect on teen pregnancy rates over a sustained period of time,” said Boyer. “Based on the strength of this program, we know the South Bronx will see more young people graduating from high school and college. And we know that this can only strengthen the fabric of this community and accelerate the proud resurgence of the South Bronx.”
The Children’s Aid Society is an independent, nonprofit organization established to serve the children of New York City. Our mission is to help children in poverty to succeed and thrive. We do this by providing comprehensive supports to children and their families in targeted high-needs New York City neighborhoods. Founded in 1853, it is one of the nation’s largest and most innovative non-sectarian agencies, serving New York’s neediest children. Services are provided in community schools, neighborhood centers, health clinics and camps. For additional information, please call Anthony Ramos at (212) 949-4938/ (917) 204-8214, email anthonyr@childrensaidsociety.org or visit www.childrensaidsociety.org.