After-school programs run in 21 community schools and all eight Children’s Aid community centers, serving hundreds of elementary school-aged children in Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx. Offering a safe haven for children in some of the city’s most economically challenged neighborhoods, the kids can focus on school work as well as discover their many hidden talents.

Homework assistance is available for children who need it, and recreational activities such as basketball do more than break a sweat – they team kids up with mentors who serve as role models, providing invaluable emotional support. The Children’s Aid Society is also a founding member of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and virtually every Children’s Aid site operates as a Boys & Girls Club.

You want more? Children can learn tactics, strategies, and problem solving while developing an appreciation for chess at the Philip Coltoff Center in Greenwich Village. And children from 9-12 years old interested in the performing arts take part in voice and articulation, dance, choreography and acting at the Rhinelander Center Stage Club.

The opportunities provided by Children’s Aid go on and on, and the skills the students develop are priceless; click here for information on volunteering opportunities!

A wonderful way to channel their energy and creativity, the camp encourages self-expression and a sense of community between young acting peers.  The children are taught everything from acting, set design/building and sound/lighting to costume design and stage make-up.  The pièce de résistance of each camp is the final performance which family, friends and Village locals attend —and a fabulous time always is had by all!

Philip Coltoff Center

The Philip Coltoff Center at Greenwich Village plays a vital role in providing educational, recreational and service programs for Village families since 1892.  The Center, which proudly operates under the auspices of the The Children’s Aid Society, offers a wide range of social services that include early childhood education, after-school programs and summer camp, teen and adult classes, and children’s theatre and art programming.

The Center’s mission is to be a center of Village community life, to provide dynamic, high-caliber programs and sponsor events – all with the central aim of enriching the social, cultural, creative and intellectual lives of the children, families and the Greenwich Village community at large.

The East Harlem Head Start children channel some positive ‘Zen’ on the new, recreational roof at the East Harlem Center

We are not the only ones recognizing the benefits of yoga for kids. “Yoga is wonderful for children,” says Rebecca Whitford, author of Little Yoga: A Toddler’s First Book of Yoga. “It helps them retain their natural flexibility, which they can lose, slumped over a PlayStation or at a desk in school.” Actress and yoga enthusiast Gwyneth Paltrow is also a fan of yoga for children, narrating the DVD adaptation of Little Yoga.

Early childhood yoga is offered through the Children’s Aid Society’s Go!Kids Obesity Prevention Program, a program launched in 2003 to combat childhood obesity plaguing the low-income, urban communities we serve. Go!Kids is offered at community schools P.S. 5 and P.S. 8 in Washington Heights, at our Bronx Family Center’s Day Care program and at the East Harlem Center Head Start Program .  There is also Grown-Up and Me Baby and Toddler Yoga, for adults and children ages 2-24 months, offered at the Philip Coltoff Center in Greenwich Village, which makes yoga a family activity for parent and child.

As keeping kids fit and fighting obesity become increasingly important goals, we are always incorporating new and fun activities for kids and their parents to enjoy while staying healthy. The Children’s Aid Society’s East Harlem Center’s weekly yoga class, provided free by University Settlement’s Butterflies Program,” teaches the children to exercise their bodies and positively focus their energy.  And what better place for a ‘Downward Facing Dog’ than outside on our beautiful new roof?” said Moria Cappio, Director of the East Harlem Center Early Childhood program.

The neighborhood has evolved over the years, but Children’s Aid’s commitment to the community has remained the same.

In a ceremony held on June 15, Children’s Aid and the center’s director, Steve Wobido, were singled out for playing a vital role in the area, providing educational, recreational and service programs for Village families.

The center opened on Sullivan Street in 1892 to serve the immigrant and working class population. Children’s Aid offered instruction in cooking and the trades, in addition to reading, writing and arithmetic. Currently the center offers early childhood education, after-school programs and summer camp, with a special emphasis on the arts.

The Villager ran an article in its June 17-23 issue highlighting all of the Village Award winners.

Inspired by the well-loved children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak, this play was well suited for children ages 4 through Adult. The costumes and staging just added to the fun as Rohana Elias-Reyes from nytheatre.com said, “The New Acting Company takes producing for kids seriously; they don’t skimp on lighting, costumes, sound and set and this creates a real theatergoing experience.”

This is just the latest installment from The New Acting Company, which specializes in exciting productions for families, including “The Jungle Book”, “Sideways Stories from Wayside School” & “Alice In Wonderland” just a few favorites from previous seasons.  The New Acting Company, created, founded and lead by Artistic Director, Stephen Michael Rondel is a fun, safe and creative place for students of all ages to explore the world of acting.