What a Great Bowling Night! A Special Thanks from HMESF President

Thank you to everyone who attended our Bowling Event last Thursday evening.  First and foremost, I want to welcome the “Events and Fundraising Committee,” (E&FC) to the HMESF family. This was our first collaborative effort and marks the future of HMESF.  Congratulations!

 

UPCOMING: HMESF Bowling at Bowlmor Lanes May 15th!

HMESF’s Night of Fun and Bowling is just TWO weeks away! Haven’t RSVP’ed yet? You definitely do not want to miss it!

EDU-CAP: The Latest on DeBlasio’s Universal Pre-K Initiative

Image from: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/547138-skilled-teachers-enough-to-fill-pre-k-after-school-jobs/?photo=3

De Blasio’s campaign promised to provide universal, full-day, pre-kindergarten programs to NYC by taxing the wealthiest residents. De Blasio presented this proposal in November’s election, which captured 73% of the vote, and has presented this to the state legislature since being elected. However, Governor Andrew Cuomo has been hesitant to agree. Cuomo, who is up for re-election this fall, has built his campaign promising to reduce taxes. Both de Blasio and Cuomo acknowledge the immense benefits of implementing a universal pre-K program but they continue to be at odds in terms of funding.

Image from: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/22/nyregion/cuomo-prekindergarten-proposal.html?_r=1

In an effort to compromise, Gov. Cuomo proposed a budget plan last January which would fund a universal, full-day pre-K program for the state and still cut taxes. He wants to expand and standardize the quality of pre-k programs across the state, instead of just in New York City.  

Cuomo’s five-year plan allots more than $2.2 billion statewide on pre-K and after school programs; while de Blasio’s would commit $2.5 billion over five years for the same activities just in New York City. De Blasio’s plan would raise taxes on income above $500,000 a year to 4.4 percent from 3.9 percent.  “For the 27,300 taxpayers earning $500,000 to $1 million, the average increase would be $973 a year, according to the Independent Budget Office, a municipal agency.”

Cuomo said, “Once you say you should do pre-K in rich communities and poor communities, upstate and downstate, then you need a mechanism of distribution, which is the state and that’s why state financing makes sense.” And in his opinion, the state is in the best position to provide the classes.

“Those familiar with the governor’s thinking say Mr. Cuomo views the mayor’s plan as an inequitable one: If a prekindergarten program is paid for with tax revenue from the wealthy, then New York City could be at a distinct advantage over smaller and poorer municipalities around the state.”

Source: Pre-K Plan Puts Cuomo at Odds With de Blasio on Funding

Amidst claims that having NYC pay for its own early education programs may negatively affect children of the rest of the state, a Times Union op-ed article offered insight to this dilemma. By allowing de Blasio to tax the richest people who live and work in NYC, it can cover pre-K for up to 750,000 children, and open up the state’s budget for the rest of New York school districts.

A Quinnipiac University poll shows that all New York State voters, by a 47-37 percent margin, including 49 - 40 percent among New York City voters, back Cuomo's plan for universal pre-K with no new taxes over de Blasio's plan to fund pre-K with a city income tax hike on high-income families. "Just about everyone in this most liberal of states likes universal pre-kindergarten and they think - overwhelmingly - that kids will learn and that it will help them out of poverty," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "But voters prefer Gov. Andrew Cuomo's no-new-taxes approach to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's tax-the-rich plan to pay for those new classes."

The state’s budget is due for approval by April 1 and the legislative session lasts until June, so there is still time for de Blasio and Cuomo to come to a solution.

Image from: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/26/nyregion/new-york-city-can-add-29000-seats-for-pre-k-mayor-says.html

Until then, Mayor de Blasio continues to make his way through NYC schools to support our current pre-K programs. A recent article by the Epoch Times analyzed de Blasio’s education expansion which will not only address the city’s need to improve education, but also the need for new jobs. The mayor’s push for universal pre-K aims to open 11,880 new pre-K seats by September. Given that the staff requirement is one head teacher and one assistant teacher per 20 students, it would translate to 1,188 new jobs. Another 11,760 existing half-day seats are expected to be converted to full-day seats, moving some 1,176 teachers from part-time to full-time jobs. About 10 percent of the pre-K seats would serve special needs students. That would mean hundreds of professionals will be needed, such as speech therapists.

With support for both de Blasio and Cuomo’s plans, it is important to keep in mind the general consensus that implementing quality early education should be in our near future. A total of 78 percent of voters in the Quinnipiac poll say universal pre-K would be "very effective" or "somewhat effective" in improving education for all New York State children. We’ll be sure to follow the status of early education in New York City and New York State while de Blasio and Cuomo come to a resolution.

Looking Back at 2013!

We at HMESF want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday! As we prepare for 2014, we can’t help but look back at all the great things the HMESF team and providers have accomplished this year.

Earlier this year we celebrated our 5th anniversary with all of our supporters who have carried on the tradition of Helene Marks’ mission to create opportunities for bright young futures. We acknowledged the accomplishments of the HMESF team and supporters but more importantly we honored the child care professionals who work hard everyday to develop healthy environments for children. In celebration, we were also joined by nationally-recognized researcher, Dr. Dana Friedman of the Early Care Institute who spoke about the importance of reading to a child at an early age. We also heard from Mark McGrath, a representative from one of our centers, Hale House Center, and recipient of the first HMESF scholarship program. It was definitely a night to remember, being surrounded by friends, leaders, supporters, and early care providers.

 

This year we also hosted our first round table discussion with our 21 centers. Given the changing landscape of the early child care field, it was important to understand our providers’ challenges and concerns. Representatives brought up issues of funding and program cutbacks and were open to discuss how HMESF can continue to support our centers moving forward. Some major points we took away from our centers was the success of our Library Initiative and book per kid donations. As a result of this insightful meeting, we also learned the need for professional development for our centers.

A few months later we hosted our first Professional Development day with Ellen Jaffe Cogan from early education consulting firm, Hilltop Early Childhood Services. Representatives from our child care centers around the city came together to participate in a dynamic workshop about the use of centers’ walls as an extension of learning and encouraging science exploration through play. The major takeaway from the workshop was understanding that everything our providers do (i.e. decorating the walls) and everything children do (i.e. exploring) can all be opportunities to engage in the development of the child. Everyone walked away from the workshop with the joy that anything you do can make a difference.

 

This year HMESF expanded internally. In an effort to bring on more professionals dedicated to our mission, we were happy to welcome members of our newly established HMESF Fundraising Committee. Together, we hosted a Holiday Cocktail Party and had an amazing time with everyone who wore their best “ugly sweaters.”

The end of the year also marked our annual holiday book per kid donation. This year’s donation is Esphyr Slobodkina’s “Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys, and Their Monkey Business.” “Caps for Sale” has been in print for over fifty years and follows a peddler and a band of mischievous monkeys filled with warmth, humor and simplicity. We can’t wait for each child at our centers to get their own copy of this delightful story and can only hope they’ll want to read it again and again!

As the year comes to an end, we want to thank everyone who has had a part in making 2013 one to remember. We couldn’t have done it without the HMESF team, our supporters, providers and centers this year! We are looking forward to 2014!!

Continue to follow us on our website, Facebook and Twitter to keep up-to-date on what's coming up!

Bill de Blasio for Mayor, Bill de Blasio for Early Child Care?

Image from NY Daily News

In this year’s mayoral race, Democratic candidate Bill de Blasio set himself apart from his opponents by proposing a bold idea: to raise taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers to fund “truly universal pre-kindergarten and after-school programs for all middle school students”.  It seems that was the tune New Yorkers wanted to hear. After a historic margin of victory, Bill de Blasio came out on top (73 percent to Joe Lhota’s 24 percent). So the question is: can the new mayor-elect deliver on his promise? How will de Blasio’s administration affect the early child care arena in NYC?

Image from Politicker article

Our First Professional Development Day!

Mural in the lobby of Union Settlement Association

Earlier this year, HMESF hosted our very first round table collaboration with early care providers at Union Settlement. We were thrilled that there was a representation of many of our 21 centers across Manhattan. It was our objective to hear what the early care providers’ challenges were amongst all the changes in the early care landscape. Since we strive to improve the quality of education and early care for children ages 0-3, it was essential to determine how HMESF could positively impact and support our centers moving forward. The providers agreed our Library Initiative and book per kid donations have been well received, as books are essential to engage children from an early age. However, it was immediately clear that the early care programs were not getting sufficient professional development, and hoped HMESF may provide a workshop for their staff.

As a result of the round table requests, HMESF hosted its first Professional Development day last week. Ellen Jaffe Cogan from early education consulting firm, Hilltop Early Childhood Services, led the half day training. Eager early care providers from Northside Center, Safe Horizon, BronxWorks, Sunshine Learning Center and Mother Hale Learning Center filled the community room of Union Settlement Association in East Harlem on a sunny Thursday morning. These dedicated early childcare workers participated in a dynamic dialogue during Ellen Jaffe Cogan’s two-part presentation on utilizing walls to contribute to learning and science exploration through play.

Back-to-School: Are You Ready?

Image from http://rosenglish.blogspot.com/2010/04/back-to-school.html

Labor Day isn’t only the last day to wear white, but a weekend to enjoy the final days of summer fun. This weekend was also opportune to switch gears for school just around the corner! But getting ready for school isn’t just buying school supplies and a new backpack or setting an earlier bedtime; there’s preparation for everyone—from children and parents to teachers and care providers!

So if you or someone else is anxious about the start of the school year, here’s a quick checklist to ease your worries.

Early Learning Days of Action

Rainbow Chimes sing Wednesday. Credit: Pam Robinson

The nation’s focus on early learning and the importance of investing in early education comes at a prefect time. Earlier this year, the president made a bold step forward to improve the opportunities for young children. He announced an unprecedented proposal to make more than $75 billion available for early education, child care, Head Start, pre-kindergarten and home visiting over the next 10 years. However, President Obama’s commitment to early education won’t push through without our support. The “Early Learning Days of Action” serves as a prime opportunity to band together as a nation and to speak as a unified voice on behalf of young children and families to support President Obama’s Early Learning Initiative.

Credit: Twitter @whitehouse

On Wednesday June 5th, allies across the country celebrated “Early Learning Day of Action” to generate as many press-worthy attention activities that will start and continue the conversation on early learning and the impact toward being productive citizens of the future. Spearheaded by the National Women’s Law Center based in Washington D.C., hundreds of organizations and advocates will participate in the “Early Learning Day of Action” over the next two weeks.

April 14-20: Week of the Young Child: Early Years are Learning Years

*image from NAEYC

Our 5th Anniversary party last month garnered overwhelming support and gathered people invested in furthering HMESF’s mission to provide quality and affordable early child care in NYC.  The timing of our event coincided with another childhood celebration this week (April 14-20); the Week of the Young Child™.

Sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the annual celebration that recognizes the needs of young children and appreciates parents, teachers, caregivers, and other adults who play important roles in the lives of young children. The theme for this year is Early Years Are Learning Years®, to focus public attention on the needs of young children,  their families,  and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.  

Since NAEYC ‘s origin in 1971, the Week of the Young Child™, it was apparent that early childhood years, (birth through age 8) would create the foundation for children's success in school and later life. Research and early childhood advocates today have especially stressed the importance of investing in our children’s early years to foster optimum learning, development, future economic and societal payoffs.  Despite the demand for quality and affordable childcare/education programs for children ages 0-3, the current economic climate doesn’t always allow programs to meet the demand, especially in major cities like NYC.

However, this Week of the Young Child™ is an opportunity to recognize that a young child’s future is our responsibility. It is pivotal that we recommit ourselves to ensuring that each and every child has a quality early care environment—at home, at child care, at school, and in the community—to promote emotional well-being and academic success.

Please join HMESF in celebrating  the Week of the Young Child™.  Many communities across the country have banded together to raise public awareness and create broad visibility to support the importance of the early years. It is important to spread the word by: supporting organizations which connect valuable information to parents of young children, and visiting high-quality programs to recognize the staff’s efforts in providing quality early childcare/education.  HMESF took the opportunity to highlight the hard work and dedication of the providers in our partnering centers, at our 5th Year Anniversary party. We encourage you to do the same! Check out our website to find out more about the centers HMESF donates to and supports.

A key element in a child’s development during the early years is to promote children’s literacy.  This year’s Week of the Young Child™ is themed  the Early Years Are Learning Years® Consequently, the HMESF Library Initiative, was created for exactly this reason. It is extremely important that children begin interacting with books at an early age. Furthermore, the keynote speaker at the event, Dr. Dana Friedman from the Early Care Institute, drove this point home. She indicated that books and reading have a direct effect on a child, "the more you read to children from an early age, the more positive the perceive the reading experience."

This April 14-20 is an opportunity to plan how we—as citizens of a community, of a state, and of a nation—can better meet the needs of all young children and their families. Join HMESF and NAEYC in celebrating the Week of the Young Child™.

Find out more at NAEYC’s website for the Week of the Young Child™.

HMESF Five Year Anniversary Party

I'd like to send a heart felt thank you to all those who attended, supported, and were a part of HMESF's 5 Year Anniversary Party at the Stellan last evening. The night was such an overwhelming success on so many levels. As I looked around the room, I felt so proud that the friends of HMESF, guests, early childcare providers, and leaders, all came together to celebrate one thing; my mother Helene Marks.

As I reflect back on the past five years, I am in awe of all the hard work and dedication put forth by the HMESF family.  I said in my speech that "it has been an interesting, challenging, and fulfilling journey, as we worked tirelessly to make our mark in the early childcare arena." I am thrilled that we have been able to continue doing great work to honor my mothers vision of improving the quality of affordable childcare. Despite some of our accomplishments over the past few years, it is really the childcare professionals that deserve to be recognized. These providers everywhere work hard every day to develop children, to provide them with a healthy environment to achieve social and emotional well being, and academic success. 

The Stellan was bustling with activity, great raffle prizes, and Dana's macaroons. We were honored to have two amazing key note speakers that portrayed the challenges faced and victories achieved in the early care world.  First,  Dr. Dana Friedman of the "Early Care Institute," spoke about the importance of early intervention, play, and social interaction.  She highlighted how books and reading have a direct effect on a child, "the more you read to children from an early age, the more positive the perceive the reading experience." Next, we were thrilled to hear from Mark McGrath, the director of Hale House Center, and the recipient of the first HMESF scholarship program. He discussed how HMESF and our donations have positively impacted their center.  

It was a very special night for HMESF.  We appreciate your generosity.  Please follow us on Facebook, twitter, and visit our website at hmesf.org to see what we have in store for the remainder of 2013.

Thanks for celebrating with us. We look forward to seeing you at our next event.

Jaime Marks (President), Richard Marks (Vice President), Matthew Konieczny (Board Member)

Some of the HMESF Team Elizabeth Ballantyne (Board Member), Joey Kotler, and Melanie Arnold 

2 Days Until Our Fifth Anniversary Party!

Our Five Year Anniversary Party is just TWO days away! Haven’t RSVP-ed yet? You definitely don’t want to miss this event! The entire HMESF team is excited to celebrate the past five years, thank all of our supporters, and welcome new members with open arms--what a great way to kick off 2013!

There is so much in store for Tuesday’s anniversary event: fantastic raffles, prizes, and delectable macarons from Dana’s Bakery! If that wasn’t enough to pique your interest, we have two speakers: a researcher in the early education field and a representative from one of the childcare centers HMESF supports.

Dr. Dana Friedman of The Early Year's Institute, is a nationally-recognized researcher and policy analyst for children, family and women's issues. She has worked for several national organizations and served as a consultant to major corporations, government agencies and foundations. Before founding The Early Years Institute, Dana was Senior Vice President at Bright Horizons Family Solutions where she led the firm's work/life consulting practice; Co-Founder and Co-President of the Families and Work Institute (FWI), a national, non-profit research firm; and a Senior Research Associate at The Conference Board, where she created the Work and Family Information Center in 1983.

Dana is currently on the boards of the New York State Early Care and Learning Council and the Long Island Fund for Women and Girls. She is a member of The Conference Board's Work/Life Leadership Council and the Port Washington Child Care Partnership. She serves on the New York State Early Childhood Advisory Council which oversees the development of the New York State Work Group on Quality Rating Systems, for which she was the original co-director.

Joining Dana Friedman with a few words is Mark McGrath, Director of Development for Hale House Center, Inc., a nationally-recognized non-profit organization dedicated to building better futures for children and families in need. Hale House Center, Inc. was awarded the HMESF Scholarship last Fall, and as a result of this grant, two additional children are receiving the benefit of Hale House’s nurturing and stimulating environment.

Founded in 1969, by Clara McBride Hale, Hale House delivers child-centered, family-focused programs that are responsive to the unique circumstances of each family served and the evolving social needs within their community and beyond. The current initiatives include a state of the art learning center for children ages six weeks to five years and a supportive transitional housing program for single parent families. Hale House believes in providing unconditional love, care and understanding to children and families in need of support. Their Harlem-based programs offer a safe, nurturing environment and an opportunity for a better future through individualized support and educational services.

Without the overwhelming support over the past five years, our accomplishments would mean nothing. So please join us Tuesday night to honor the supporters of HMESF and acknowledge many of the childcare providers who help carry on the tradition of Helene Marks' mission to create opportunities for bright young futures. It will be a night you won’t want to miss!

Don’t miss out at your chance at the remaining tickets for our anniversary part, RSVP here. We hope to see you all Tuesday night!

EDU-CAP: Early Education in ACTION!

Last year’s re-election of Obama had reignited serious talks establishing new policies and strategies dedication to ensuring all children have access to quality early education and child care. In the last three weeks we’ve seen early education in action: from parents challenging NYC for the teacher evaluation impasse, to a state senator introducing education legislation, and even President Obama detailing plans to expand early education in his state of the union address. 

HMESF GUEST BLOG @ My Town Tutors

This week HMESF posted a guest blog for My Town Tutors, whose mission is to connect parents with well-qualified, local teachers as tutors for their child. Periodically they invite others interested children's education to submit a guest blog to reach their network of parents and teachers across the country.

Check out our guest blog citing the importance of investing in early childhood development @ My Town Tutors!

Early Childhood Development: The Best Investment

HMESF Looking Back at 2012

2012 has been a great year for HMESF. With 2013 just beginning, we took the time to look back on the great progress the HMESF team and centers have made in early childcare and education in New York City!

Center Spotlight

HMESF provides the Helene Marks Library, a collection of age-appropriate books, to early-age child care and early childhood education centers that offer exemplary programs for children ranging in ages from birth to three years old. The types of environments in which children spend their time and the people with whom they spend their time are strongly linked with the outcome of their later lives; one of the main environments being childcare centers. Even for those centers with effective caregivers and a strong structure, a lack of resources can prove to be an impediment to the success of the program. This is where HMESF is able to step in and give a hand to those high-quality centers that are lacking sufficient resources. This year we were able to make a few visits to our centers in the city. 

Early Childhood Education Boosts Economy

Early Childhood Education Boosts Economy (article link)

(image from web article: Early Childhood Education Boosts Economy)

In an article for Suite101, a collaborative publishing community, Stephen Raburn delves into the research supporting the pay-off for investing in early childhood development. Although the article dates back to February of 2010, its content is still relevant today. Early childcare and education has been a hot topic, especially with the past election, and in terms of the issue of funding such programs; therefore, understanding the pay-off for this investment is crucial to move forward for progress in early childhood development.

Save the Date! HMESF 5th Anniversary Cocktail Party

President Obama Proclaims November 20th National Child's Day!

Presidential Proclamation--National Child's Day, 2012
 

Following in suite to Canada's National Child's Day, President Barack Obama observes today, National Child's Day, as a day to "re-educate ourselves to creating the bright future we want for our nation's children." HMESF agrees that America's success depends on our ability to give our children the best education possible. So join us, our president, and the country to celebrate how our children have enriched our lives and to commit to help then achieve excellence in all they do!

Logo Source

Image Source

EDU-CAP: Nov 6-13 What's New in Early Education Funding

Early education may have been put on the back-burner in during this presidential race, but with President Obama’s reelection, we’ve begun to shift gears from who is proposing the best ideas for early education to how can we put these ideas into action. President Obama’s platform stressed the importance of education, from early childcare to higher education, but with the current economic climate it is essential that we come up with nuanced ways to fund early education programs, at a federal, state, and city-level. 

Obama re-elected: What four more years means for education

The Hechinger Report, a non-profit news organization focused on in-depth education journalism, commented on how education might change in the next 4 years. Promising to expand access to quality education in his victory speech last week, Obama will ensure the federal government will have a role in education, as opposed to Mitt Romney's campaign which argued education policies be a state and local school district issue. While Obama's first-term focused on teachers and principals' accountability based on students' academic performance. Jeffrey Henig, political scientist at Columbia University's Teachers College, predicts Obama's second term will seek to "improve how academic performance is measured." The Obama administration is expected to use Race to the Top, Obama's competitive grant program incentivizing 46 states to initiate education reform, as leverage for change to make a bigger impact than No Child Left Behind. There is much optimism, yet the reality of a new bipartisan approach to education, "it'll be a lot harder to make non-incremental changes in education policy."

State banking on power of Pre-K

 The Times Union reports that early learning will be pushed in the 2013 state budget. Its no surprise that it has taken this long for policy makers to see how essential early education is to the learning process of a child. Noting the return on investing in early education, Jennifer O'Connor of early learning advocacy group Winning Beginning NY said, "The whole idea is to invest in the first 5 years. Its a smart investment; its money back for communities." The State Department of Education also supports this saying, "Every dollar invested in pre-kindergarten programs saves tax payers' $7 by reducing the need for remedial and special education, as well as welfare and criminal justice services." The State department will focus the 2013 budget on recruiting more children, who qualify for free-and reduced-lunches, into universal prekindergarten. By seeking to change the law so household income can  serve as a factor for selection, it will give priority to those children. Prekindergarten programs serve 100,000 children; with increased funding, it will reduce the 120,000 list of 4-year olds in New York waiting for seats.


Manhattan Borough President Seeks Bonds to Expand Head Start


While the majority of schools in NYC hit by Sandy’s devastation two weeks ago have reopened today, about 100 schools remain closed. Naturally the first priority is to get into these schools to do necessary repairs so they can reopen once more, in hopes of returning displaced students. But before the storm hit, Manhattan borough president, Scott M. Stringer,  who is also a mayoral candidate for next year, proposed a way to fund early education/child care, Head Start programs. Stringer is advocating for the use of social-impact bonds, also known as pay-for-success bonds, which are loans from investors to pay for a program, to expand access to Early Head Start. Education is likely to be a key issue in the mayoral race. Stringer's proposal would not cost the tax payers anything. To make the investment worthwhile, it is expected that an early education program would require $5 million to $25 million. Alicia Glen, head of Goldman Sachs's Urban Investment Group, said, "This seems like really smart policy, and a terrific way for the public and private sector to work together and solve chronic problems." 


 Scott Stringer said, "We are fooling ourselves if we think the same old approach to funding education will get us to where we want to be." That is the mentality needed if we really want to make progress in early education. There has already been dialogue around the importance of investing in early education programs and its long term benefits not only to the child's development but also to the community and economy. It took a while, but local, state, and federal departments are beginning to push for early education investment. The next step is to develop innovative, even experimental ways of funding and investing into early education and childcare programs.

Reading Added to Check-list for Pediatricians?

Where is the one place most children go before they enter 1st grade? 

a. Pre-K

b. Kindergarten

c. The doctor's office

If you answered (c). the doctor's office, you are correct!

From Learning Matters: WATCH: Reach Out and Read

Featured on PBS News Hour, John Marrow introduces us to a new breed of pediatrician: part doctor, part teacher. Pediatricians at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan have been running a nation-wide program called Reach Out and Read. Reach Out and Read, which was founded 23 years ago by a group of doctors and early childhood educators, is an evidence-based nonprofit that promotes early literacy and school readiness and gives new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud. By building this relationship between parents and their medical providers, children can develop critical early reading skills as early as 6 months. Reach Out and Read helps children from low-income and/or immigrant families to increase skills and scores in language development assessments, thus reducing the gap for low-income children at school entry. 

Its always great to hear about initiatives like this in NYC that support the development and early education of children through reading books. Especially because reading and providing books to children is a key element of our program at HMESF; we too believe that interacting with books at early ages is critical for children's development. 

To find a Reach Out and Read program near you, check out their website: http://www.reachoutandread.org/resource-center/find-a-program/

A Special Message from Our President, Jaime Marks

Hurricane Sandy was devastating to so many people. Our prayers and hearts go out to those whose lives changed in the aftermath of Sandy.

Now is the time to work together to rebuild and focus efforts on those who need our help. Accordingly, the HMESF 5th Anniversary celebration will be rescheduled for March 2013. Refunds for tickets purchased will be processed immediately.

For the remainder of 2012, HMESF will continue with our Holiday Book Donation program. Each child at our 21 centers throughout New York City will be given a copy of Richie Frieman’s “Terple Always Dreams Bigger,” to take home. This book was just featured at our October 21st Barnes & Noble book reading and puppet show. We would like to reiterate our thanks to the families who attended the event; welcome to the HMESF family!

We would also like to let you know that our main achievement for the 2012 year, the launch of the HMESF Scholarship program, was realized this Fall. The goal of the HMESF Scholarship Program is to supplement tuition assistance programs already in place at high-quality nonprofit early-age childcare centers serving an economically disadvantaged population, to ease the burden families living in poverty and or near-poverty face in accessing quality early-age childcare and education. This year, a grant was awarded to the Mother Hale Learning Center (“MHLC”), in Harlem, NY, for use during the 2012-2013 academic year. As a result of this grant, two additional children are receiving the benefit of MHLC’s nurturing and stimulating environment. It is truly humbling to be able to have a positive impact on individual lives, and it is only through your support that we are able to do so.


Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and website to see upcoming event details and updates.

Thank you for your support in 2012, it is greatly appreciated. As we embark on our 5 Year Anniversary, we can only hope that we will be as fortunate as we have been over the past years.

Warmly,

Jaime S. Marks
President