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Programs

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Family Child Care Network (FCCN)

In partnership with the NYC Department of Education, The Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers, Inc.(FOCH), operates an extensive Family Child Care Network delivering high-quality care and early education to children aged 6 weeks to 3 years old in more than 150 licensed provider homes throughout the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. With a contracted capacity of 1,000 children in these affiliated provider homes, our mixed-age Family Child Care programs are grounded in a holistic approach that ensures the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive needs of every child are met. Affiliated providers are supported with instructional resources, coaching and hands-on program monitoring by our expert professional staff. All Family Child Care Network (FCCN) Providers are licensed by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), and regulated by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).

In partnership with the NYC Department of Education, The Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers, Inc.(FOCH), operates an extensive Family Child Care Network delivering high-quality care and early education to children aged 6 weeks to 3 years old in more than 150 licensed provider homes throughout the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. With a contracted capacity of 1,000 children in these affiliated provider homes, our mixed-age Family Child Care programs are grounded in a holistic approach that ensures the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive needs of every child are met. Affiliated providers are supported with instructional resources, coaching and hands-on program monitoring by our expert professional staff. All Family Child Care Network (FCCN) Providers are licensed by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), and regulated by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).

 

At FOCH, we believe that children learn best from active engagement in their environments and through meaningful interactions with peers and adults -- especially their parents and caregivers. We recognize that every child’s family, culture, and community play a vital role in their development. Accordingly, we work with providers to respect and value differences and promote a lifelong love of learning in a safe, positive and nurturing environment. We recognize and engage our families as equal partners, primary caregivers and advocates in their children’s development. Our FCCN educational specialists and monitoring teams work closely with affiliated providers to engage children in a variety of play based and developmentally appropriate learning experiences, and ensure that care and instruction are always based on children’s individual strengths, interests, and needs.

 

Family Child Care Curriculum:

All affiliated providers in our FOCH Family Child Care Network utilize the Let’s Play! Curriculum, which is specifically designed for mixed-age Family Child Care programs to support children’s development through responsive caregiving and play-based learning. Let’s Play! recognizes that learning happens throughout the day and is embedded in all aspects of the daily routine. Consequently, this curriculum offers suggestions for making the most of each day’s routines and transitions through conversations, songs and games. For our youngest children, warm, predictable caregiving routines serve as the foundation for building trusting relationships. Once children feel safe and secure, they can then engage more enthusiastically in the process of learning about the world around them.

Let’s Play! also guides providers on how to organize their homes to reflect an early childhood classroom setting, using various types of toys, games and other materials to establish Learning Centers. Children develop a variety of skills while engaging in the different centers, such as:

 

Center Name Skills
Block Area   Math, social skills, language skills, problem solving, and creative thinking
Dramatic Play   Creative thinking, social and emotional skills, language skills, social studies
Educational Toys 
& Games  
Problem solving, math skills, language, social and emotional skills.
Art and Writing    Fine motor skills, reading, creative thinking, aesthetic development
Library   Listening, language, reading and social skills
Science   Scientific process, evaluative skills, math, language development, problem solving and social skills
Sand & Water    Math and science skills, problem solving, creative thinking, language
Music / Movement   Physical development, math skills, social and emotional development
Cooking   Math and science skills, language and social skills
Computers   Fine motor skills, technology, reading and computer competence.

 

 

To become an Affiliated Child Care Provider with our network, or to enroll your child in one of our Family Child Care programs, contact us today by phone at (718) 638-8686.

 

The goals of our FOCH Family Child Care Network reflect our agency’s commitment to high-quality early childhood care and education services and are applicable across all settings, including both our center-based and family child-care programs. These goals are also aligned with the requirements and expectations enumerated in the DECE’s Early Childhood Framework for Quality (EFQ). Specifically, our Network and affiliated providers work collaboratively with families to:

 

  • Ensure that all children develop the necessary foundations for lifelong learning, self-confidence, creativity and social-emotional development;

 

  • Provide families with the resources and support they need to extend children’s learning and development in all domains and promote the family’s role as primary teachers in their children’s lives;

 

  • Establish family engagement linkages with other community-based organizations that will support the wellbeing and aspirations of our children and families. 

 

For any Family Child Care provider deciding whether to partner with us, it is important to know that our network prioritizes the recruitment of diverse, experienced and credentialed staff who mirror the culture and languages of the children and families we serve.  We also engage extensively with our communities through various partnership agreements that provide access to services such as health, nutrition and wellness programs, housing, employment and career counseling, Afterschool, adult education and ESOL classes.

 

Such skills include language and reading development, math skills, science skills, social studies knowledge, physical development, social and emotional competence.

 


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Universal Pre-K

The Friends of Crown Heights Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program.

The Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers, Inc., (FOCH),  is a contracted provider of Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) services, through which we deliver a high-quality, standards-based, developmentally appropriate instructional program for prekindergarten children. Our instructional program integrates all curriculum areas such as the arts, social studies, literacy, science, social-emotional education, physical education, and mathematics. Our UPK programs are funded by the New York City Department of Education and the New York City Administration for Children’s Services.

The vision of our UPK program is to ensure that all children develop the necessary foundations for lifelong learning, self confidence, creativity and social-emotional development. Utilizing the Creative Curriculum/Teaching Strategies Gold, which align with the Common Core State Standards, our program employs multi-sensory and multi-cultural approaches to maximize the learning opportunities for all children and facilitate their acquisition of age-appropriate cognitive, linguistic, gross/fine motor, social/emotional and self-help skills.

Our philosophy of teaching and learning is implemented within a framework of developmentally appropriate practices which  focus on the development of the total child.  This is achieved through concrete and stimulating experiences in a meaningful context, addressing the cognitive, social, physical, emotional, cultural and creative areas of development.  The instructional strategies that support this philosohy are  implemented through an open classroom design with activities that are student-directed and self-correcting.  Our program provides concept-based instruction in all disciplines of study.  The program also incorporates a holistc approach to emergent literacy by providing a literature-rich enviornment through developed learning centers.  

 

FOCH is also committed to accommodating the specific needs of our children on an individualized basis. This is a continual process that involves a collaborative or team approach. The activities and materials used in our Friends of Crown Heights early childhood classrooms are designed to meet the needs of many children.  When they do not sufficiently meet the specific needs of a particular child, they can be adapted or expanded to accommodate the individual needs of that child.  For the developmentally advanced as well as for struggling students, instructional groupings are implemented, for example: small groups, cooperative learning groups, peer partnerships, one-to one instruction or independent tasks. For our linguistically diverse learners, teaching strategies such as use of concrete materials/examples, sequencing of learning tasks, repeated practice skills, shaping of response and verbal prompts are utilized.  The use of augmentative communication systems, eye gaze,and demonstration may further accommodate the lingusitally diverse learner.  For those students with a disability, modification of instructional materials, physically adapted instruction or play materials may be utilized to facilitate the child's participation.  

 

Our teachers promote oral language development and collaborative problem solving by encouraging students to bring their ideas and background knowledge and experiences into the classroom.  We  provide a nurturing and accepting environment where students can be comfortable practicing language without censure from adults or by other students. Our teachers also encourage on-topic, student-to-student discussions and collaborations and provide opportunities for speaking, discussions and expression of ideas, experience and opinions through  extended contextualized conversations -- both individually and in small groups. 

At all sites, our UPK programs include the following  features:

 

  • Creative Curriculum
  • Early reading, writing, math & science exploration
  • High-tech classrooms
  • Outdoor play areas for gross motor development
  • Clean, spacious and nurturing environments
  • Nutritious meals

 

To enroll your child, please visit or contact a Friends of Crown Heights Educational Center near you! 

 


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Infants and Toddlers

The Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers Inc., is a premier provider of services under the EarlyLearn NYC program, which merges child care and early education into a single, seamless system serving infants, toddlers and preschoolers in New York City.

Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers Inc., is proud to operate one of the very few programs licensed by the City of New York to care for infants as young as two months old. This coveted authorization is awarded by the city only after the most rigorous certification process of both the staff and facilities, and our FOCH infant care program has become a much heralded model in the field. 

Call us at (718) 638-8686 to learn more, or to arrange a visit at your convenience.

At all of our centers, FOCH is also a flagship provider of services under the EarlyLearn NYC program, which merges child care and early education into a single, seamless system serving infants, toddlers and preschoolers in New York City. This new initiative was designed specifically to bring consistent quality early care and education to New York’s neediest children and working poor families. It combines a mix of both center- and home-based programs designed to best prepare children for success in elementary school and beyond.

Acknowledging research demonstrating the long-term cognitive, social, emotional and physical gains resulting from high quality early childhood programs, EarlyLearn NYC is administered by the New York City Administration for Children’s Services, in partnership with the New York City Department of Education and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The program seeks to raise educational standards throughout early childhood education settings while simultaneously supporting the professional development and enhancing the instructional practices of early education teachers. EarlyLearn NYC also encourages the recruitment of an economically diverse group of children, based on research showing that children achieve key developmental benefits among a socio-economically diverse mix of their peers. 

Use our center locator to learn more by visiting a Friends of Crown Heights Center near you.

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Pre-School

Our flagship Universal Pre-K program features an integrated approach to early childhood education, preparing our 4-year olds with the language, literacy, cognitive, physical and social skills needed to excel in kindergarten and beyond.

At FOCH, we are also a premier provider of the Universal Pre-Kindergarten(or Universal Pre-K) program -- an integrated early childhood education delivery system preparing 4-year olds with the language, literacy, cognitive, physical and social skills needed to excel in kindergarten.

Administered under the direction of the New York City Department of Education, the ultimate goal of the program is to create Centers of Excellence for pre-kindergarten services incorporating the New York State learning standards. The underlying philosophy of Universal Pre-K is to create a preschool program that provides all 4-year-olds with high-quality, developmentally appropriate instruction, including English language learners, children with disabilities and their non-disabled peers. The program seeks to promote the acquisition of skills in each of the four learning domains: social-emotional, physical, creative expression/aesthetic and cognitive development, including language and literacy as well as mathematical and scientific thinking. 

Use our center locator to learn more by visiting a Friends of Crown Heights Center near you.

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After School

For young people enrolled in grades K-8, our Friends of Crown Heights After-school program provides a mix of academic, recreational and cultural activities including homework help and project-based learning, healthy snacks or supper, and regular engagement in fitness, sports, arts and culture.

Our Friends of Crown Heights After-school programs are administered under the auspices of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development. Officially known as COMPASS and SONYC, these programs serve Elementary and Middle School students by providing a mix of academic, recreational and cultural activities for young people enrolled in Grades K-8.  

Among other benefits, our programs feature:

  •  Academic assistance, including homework help and project-based learning 
  •  Stimulating activities that complement the school day curriculum
  •  Regular engagement in fitness, sports, arts, cultural and leadership development activities 
  •  Experienced, well-trained, and committed staff members
  •  Positive peer and adult interaction
  •  Facilities that are licensed, safe, clean and well-maintained
  •  Opportunities for parental feedback and input
  •   Strong connections with the local community
  •   Healthy snacks or supper provided daily.
Call or vist a FOCH center near you to find out more about the registration and enrollment process.

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Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): a nutrition education and meal reimbursement program helping providers serve nutritious and safely prepared meals and snacks to children and adults in day care settings.

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federal program that supports the provision of healthful meals and snacks served to children and adults.  Because the participants’ nutritional needs are supported on a daily basis, the program plays a vital role in improving the quality of child care and making it more affordable for families.

All CACFP facilities are required to follow the meal patterns established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). For example, breakfast requires a serving of milk, fruit or vegetable and bread or a grain product. Lunch and dinner must include a selection of milk, bread or grain product, meat or meat alternate, and two different servings of fruits and/or vegetables. Snacks include servings from two or the four main components: milk, fruits or vegetables, bread or grain product, or meat or meat alternate.

As a partner in this program, FOCH works with other child care providers to help them meet the federal nutritional standards required of the program, and to obtain the appropriate reimbursement for expenses incurred.


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Summer in the City Day Camp

Our Summer in the City Day Camp is now accepting registrations for eligible children ages 5-12 years old. Call or visit any of our participating centers.

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