Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens

For Immediate Release
Contact: Lucy Garrido-Mota
Ph: 718-722-6204
E-mail: lucyg@ccbq.org

Photo: At the Catholic Charities Sunset Park Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, (l. to r.): Carol Merryshapiro, Director of Facilities, NYC Administration for Children’s Services, Robert Marquez, Vice President of Early Childhood Services, Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services, Inc.; Maria Benejan, Associate Commissioner, Program Development, Child Care and Head Start, NYC Administration for Children’s Services; Robert Siebel, Chief Executive Officer, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens; Gloria Arroyo, Program Manager, Sunset Park Early Childhood Development Center(holding the scissor); Luz Martinez, Student at Sunset Park Early Childhood Development Center; Monsignor Alfred LoPinto, Vicar for Human Services, Diocese of Brooklyn; Fr. Kevin Sweeney, Pastor, St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church, Sunset Park, Brooklyn; Sr. Ellen Patricia Finn, Deputy Executive Director, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens; Monsignor Steven A. Ferrari, Brooklyn Territorial Vicar, Diocese of Brooklyn; and, Laura Martinez, Luz’s mom, and Chairperson of the Parent Committee at Sunset Park Early Childhood Development Center

Brooklyn—A commemorative ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on Thursday, March 11th at 11:30 a.m. to celebrate the expansion of the Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens Sunset Park Early Childhood Development Center, in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Thanks to a grant of $1.2 million from the Robin Hood Foundation and additional funding from The New York City Administration for Children’s Services, Catholic Charities developed 4,000 square-feet of unused space, converting it into five additional classrooms—now serving an additional 114 children, from a waiting list of over 350 families. More than just adding classrooms, this expansion has allowed Catholic Charities to serve over 400 low-income families in Sunset Park.

“Families cannot afford to choose between educating their children and feeding them,” says Robert Siebel, Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens. “Over half of the early childhood centers in the area are private and too costly for its major population. This expansion allows us to continue providing quality child care to hundreds of families who are struggling to make ends meet.”

The Sunset Park Early Childhood Development Center is crucial to the families of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, where 56% of the population earns less than $35,000 a year, and 27% earns less than $15,000 a year.

The center’s multicultural staff reflects the diversity of the Sunset Park neighborhood, which is composed of families from Latino, Asian and Middle Eastern backgrounds. The Montessori Method is used to offer preschoolers age-appropriate educational experiences for their social, emotional, physical and cognitive development. All classrooms are equipped with libraries, computers and other learning tools. On-site occupational, physical or speech therapy is also offered to children in need in conjunction with the New York City Department of Education.

"We're thrilled that our grant to Catholic Charities has made this project possible," says David Saltzman, Executive Director, Robin Hood. "These much-needed classrooms are welcoming, and the services delivered there will give Sunset Park's youngest students a transformational experience."

Families make the most of extended services offered at the Center, which include nutrition and health education, housing assistance, ESL and GED classes, emergency crisis intervention as well as domestic violence and child support assistance, and mental health services. Fatherhood initiatives are offered to give fathers the opportunity to get involved in their children’s lives.

Catholic Charities has sponsored and operated the Sunset Park Early Childhood Development Center for the past nine years. It is located in what had been one of two buildings of a Catholic elementary school that closed. St. Michael’s School had been built in two stages, so that it was two adjacent buildings, connected on the top floors by an open bridge. To better serve the growing Sunset Park community, expanding the Sunset Park Early Childhood Development Center required using the second building, as well as rehabilitating and enclosing the bridge connecting the two structures.

“The NYC Administration for Children’s Services is very pleased to have been part of this collaboration with Catholic Charities and the Robin Hood Foundation to support the expansion of much needed early care and education services to children and families in the Sunset Park community,” says, Maria Benejan, Associate Commissioner, Program Development, Child Care and Head Start, Administration for Children’s Services. “We applaud Catholic Charities and the Robin Hood Foundation for helping to bring these crucial services to some of our City’s most vulnerable children.”

“Having your doors open to more children is so rewarding for so many families in this community,” says Laura Martinez, chairperson of the parent committee at the center. Laura’s four-year-old daughter Melissa is a student in one of the newly opened classrooms; her two other children have graduated and moved on to elementary school. “Not only do the teachers at Sunset Park care about our children, they care about our families.”

The first day of the newly opened classrooms was February 9th, 2010. The center enrolls children ages 3 to 4 years old; morning and afternoon sessions are offered as well. Due to the popularity of the center, enrollment must be made up to a year in advance.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony were: Robert Siebel, Chief Executive Officer, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens; Monsignor Alfred LoPinto, Vicar for Human Services, Diocese of Brooklyn; Robert Marquez, Vice President of Early Childhood Services, Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services, Inc.; Maria Benejan, Associate Commissioner, Program Development, Child Care and Head Start, NYC Administration for Children’s Services; and, Deborah McCoy, Managing Director, Early Childhood & Youth, Robin Hood.

For more information, please contact: Lucy Garrido-Mota, Office of Development & Communications at 718-722-6204 or Lucyg@ccbq.org.

Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens creates a community of caring and sharing by reaching out to the poor, the sick, and the isolated. For over 100 years, Catholic Charities has been providing quality social services to the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens, and currently offers over 180 programs and services for children, youth, adults, seniors, the developmentally disabled, and the mentally ill. One of the largest providers of affordable housing in New York City, Catholic Charities provides 3,000 units of housing for low-income seniors, families, and the formerly homeless, and 750 units of special needs housing, throughout Brooklyn and Queens.

Robin Hood targets poverty in New York City by finding and funding the best and most effective programs and partnering with them to maximize results. Since 1988, Robin Hood has targeted poverty in New York City.

The New York City Administration for Children’s Services protects New York City’s children from abuse and neglect. Along with our community partners, Children’s Services provides neighborhood-based services to help ensure children grow up in safe, permanent homes with strong families.