Harlem Children's Zone

Build promising futures and your career – join our HCZ Promise Academy Charter Schools for the fall academic year! We are seeking talented and tenacious educators to advance our mission to get our scholars to and through college. We offer highly competitive salaries with annual performance bonuses, tuition reimbursement, signing/relocation bonuses, and no-cost health insurance. Apply today! https://lnkd.in/eHY3xGUd

We agree with Mr. Canada — it’s going to be a great year! Welcome back, Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy scholars! Here’s to another wonderful year of growth, learning, and fun. 🏫📚✏️ #backtoschool #backtothezone

Our HCZ Promise Academy scholars, along with our CEO Kwame Owusu-Kesse and staff from our Promise Academy After School and Athletics, took over the #TodayShow at Rockefeller Plaza this morning with NBA star Stephen Curry! Meeting Mr. Curry was a dream come true for our scholars, who shot hoops with the NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist, posed for photos, and took home copies of Curry’s new graphic novel, “Sports Superheroes Volume # 1: Stephen Curry”! Shout out to Mr. Curry for making this an experience our scholars will never forget!

Our HCZ Promise Academy staff members are gearing up for the first day of school! This week, they gathered for our annual Staff Training Institute, where they heard from HCZ leaders like our CEO Kwame Owusu-Kesse and our Founder and President Geoffrey Canada, engaged in team building, and learned about what goes into a successful school year. Our staff members are ready and can’t wait to welcome scholars back to our classrooms!

“Cradle to career isn’t just about effective programming in different parts of your city. It’s about the journey of one child having access to best-in-class programs throughout their entire developmental pathway.” We're taking a look back at last year’s Power of Place: The Heart and Science of Cradle to Career! At the second annual convening hosted by our William Julius Wilson Institute, HCZ CEO Kwame Owusu-Kesse inspired attendees with a discussion of the impact of our model on children and families across the country. The convening brought together hundreds of leaders from neighborhood organizations in New Orleans for three days of inspiring discussions and community building. Watch the full video of Mr. Owusu-Kesse’s keynote address: https://hcz.social/PoP

Meet Rowland Boateng, our Director of Social Services! He has played a key role in fostering the emotional well-being of our scholars. Thank you, Rowland, for your decades of making a positive impact on our young people! Want to make an impact, too? Explore career opportunities with HCZ here: https://hcz.social/careers

Many of our scholars want to start their own businesses — and they got a firsthand look at what it takes to achieve that goal at our Run The Future Pitch Competition! Over the last month, our scholar-entrepreneurs learned how to develop, test, and promote their business ideas, which they then pitched to a panel of professionals at the competition. The winners were awarded $1,000 to invest in their venture. Shout out to our Wealth Builds team and Formation Ventures for hosting, and bravo to all of our future business leaders!

Our College Success Office scholars visited the NBA headquarters this summer for their NBA career trek! Through this experience, scholars heard from NBA staff and interns, gaining an insider’s look at professional opportunities in the league. They also toured the NBA offices and viewed memorabilia and artifacts. Shout out to NBA for hosting us and to our Wealth Builds team for organizing the trip! Our scholars left inspired to chase their dreams both on and off the court!

HCZ scholars, parents, and staff members united for the 30th Annual Rasuli Lewis Children’s March for Peace! Together, we raised our voices and called for an end to gun violence in our communities. The event featured powerful remarks from our CEO Kwame Owusu-Kesse and President and Founder Geoffrey Canada, along with inspiring performances by our scholars, who demonstrated the meaning of peace and unity through poetry, song, and dance. #HCZMarchforPeace

Our rising college freshmen spent the summer getting a first-hand look at life in college at Advance to Start (ATS). Through this program hosted by our College Success Office, our scholars tackled math, writing, and other critical subjects in classes taught by industry leaders at a real-life college campus, The City College of New York. This program is part of our commitment to prepare our scholars to succeed in college and beyond. On the final day of ATS, our CEO Kwame Owusu-Kesse made a surprise visit to offer his wisdom and encouragement. We are incredibly proud of our scholars and will be cheering them on as they head to college this fall!