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Vaughan Toney

In Memoriam: Vaughan P.A. Toney

June 29, 1955 — September 4, 2023
Advocate, Chief Executive Officer & Ambassador-at-Large

It is with profound sadness that The Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers, Inc., (FOCH), announces the passing of its longtime President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Vaughan Toney. Mr. Toney died on Monday, September 4th, 2023, following a fiercely fought battle against cancer. He was 68.

In a career spanning more than four decades of exemplary public service and advocacy in the fields of child care and early childhood education, legislative reform, community empowerment and political activism, Vaughan Toney was the recipient of numerous awards and commendations celebrating his lifelong commitment and leadership in the service of others. In September 2022, he was formally accredited by the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines as an Ambassador-at-Large in recognition of his outstanding service to the Vincentian diaspora. Read more

🌹 Funeral services will be live-streamed on YouTube and Facebook

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Programs

We offer a variety of programs to meet your child's individual need.

Universal Pre-K and 3-K Program

The Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers, Inc., (FOCH), is a leading provider of Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) and 3-K services, through which we deliver a high-quality, standards-based, developmentally appropriate instructional program for eligible 3- and 4-year old children. Our program utilizes the Creative Curriculum, which advances our students' learning across all domains and aligns with the New York State Prekindergarten Foundation for the Common Core, the NYC Department of Education's Early Childhood Framework for Quality, and the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

Infants & Toddlers

The Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers Inc., (FOCH), 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. Our program engages all children in a variety of play-based and developmentally appropriate learning experiences, tailored to each child's individual strengths, interests, and needs.

Pre-School

The Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers, Inc., (FOCH) currently operates 20 full-service Early Childhood Education centers with a combined enrollment of more than 2,000 infants, toddlers and preschoolers funded by the New York City Department of Education. Our comprehensive pre-school program merges child care and early education into a single, seamless system serving all children in an integrated approach that fosters the language, literacy, cognitive, physical and social-emotional skills needed to become lifelong learners.

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).

After-School

For children 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 After-school curriculum is based on the STEAM concept, under which participants engage in activities that promote their understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. Activities include Robotics, Music, Creative Writing, Table Tennis, Computer Coding, Website Design and Visual Art.

Child and Adult Care Food Program(CACFP)

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federally funded nutrition education and meal reimbursement program helping providers serve nutritious and safely prepared meals and snacks to children and adults in day-care settings. In addition to providing our children with nutritious meals and snacks under this program, FOCH is also a major sponsoring agency for the CACFP contract in New York State: we directly support a network of some 350 Group and Family Child Care providers for whom we administer reimbursements and deliver nutritional training and other technical supports. These providers together serve an additional 3,000 children in the City of New York.

Summer in the City Day Camp

Our Summer in the City program is a seasonal day camp held each summer for children aged 5 - 12 years old. Camp activities are designed to help participants keep physically active, develop their social and emotional skills and cultivate an interest in lifelong learning. Activities include organized sports and recreation, field trips to parks, museums, and notable landmarks around the city, art, craft and a choice of individual or group projects that stimulate their exploration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Our Summer in the City camp begins shortly after Memorial Day and concludes on the Friday before Labor Day each year. HRA-eligible children are not required to pay the weekly program fee. For more information, contact a center near you or call us at (718) 638-8686.

Programs

We offer a variety of programs to meet your child's individual need.

Universal Pre-K and 3-K Program

The Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers, Inc., (FOCH), is a leading provider of Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) and 3-K services, through which we deliver a high-quality, standards-based, developmentally appropriate instructional program for eligible 3- and 4-year old children. Our program utilizes the Creative Curriculum, which advances our students' learning across all domains and aligns with the New York State Prekindergarten Foundation for the Common Core, the NYC Department of Education's Early Childhood Framework for Quality, and the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

Infants & Toddlers

The Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers Inc., (FOCH), 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. Our program engages all children in a variety of play-based and developmentally appropriate learning experiences, tailored to each child's individual strengths, interests, and needs.

Pre-School

The Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers, Inc., (FOCH) currently operates 20 full-service Early Childhood Education centers with a combined enrollment of more than 2,000 infants, toddlers and preschoolers funded by the New York City Department of Education. Our comprehensive pre-school program merges child care and early education into a single, seamless system serving all children in an integrated approach that fosters the language, literacy, cognitive, physical and social-emotional skills needed to become lifelong learners.

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).

After-School

For children 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 After-school curriculum is based on the STEAM concept, under which participants engage in activities that promote their understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. Activities include Robotics, Music, Creative Writing, Table Tennis, Computer Coding, Website Design and Visual Art.

Child and Adult Care Food Program(CACFP)

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federally funded nutrition education and meal reimbursement program helping providers serve nutritious and safely prepared meals and snacks to children and adults in day-care settings. In addition to providing our children with nutritious meals and snacks under this program, FOCH is also a major sponsoring agency for the CACFP contract in New York State: we directly support a network of some 350 Group and Family Child Care providers for whom we administer reimbursements and deliver nutritional training and other technical supports. These providers together serve an additional 3,000 children in the City of New York.

Summer in the City Day Camp

Our Summer in the City program is a seasonal day camp held each summer for children aged 5 - 12 years old. Camp activities are designed to help participants keep physically active, develop their social and emotional skills and cultivate an interest in lifelong learning. Activities include organized sports and recreation, field trips to parks, museums, and notable landmarks around the city, art, craft and a choice of individual or group projects that stimulate their exploration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Our Summer in the City camp begins shortly after Memorial Day and concludes on the Friday before Labor Day each year. HRA-eligible children are not required to pay the weekly program fee. For more information, contact a center near you or call us at (718) 638-8686.

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In Memoriam Vaughan Toney

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