Educational Alliance’s Post

Here’s an unexpected fact: Educational Alliance manages a bee hive.     And here’s an unexpected reason: to change lives.    At Educational Alliance, we run afterschool and summer programs for over 800 children in lower Manhattan.   These students attend public schools that often lack ample resources for enrichment. Additionally, many of the children are dealing with tough situations at home: some live in shelters, others are undocumented, and quite a few need more educational support than their schools can provide.     The bee hive that our students maintain is just one example of how we expose them to experiences that are unusual, intriguing, and educational. There’s a long list of what else they experience in our programs: trips to colleges, tutoring, homework help, visits to museums, music instruction, hands-on science, and much more.    The history of the Lower East Side is filled with stories of immigrants who came to this country and a spark was ignited that allowed them to flourish and to excel. They became entrepreneurs, scientists, and civic leaders.   Educational Alliance was at the center of many of those stories. We’re still here doing that same work throughout lower Manhattan, helping kids to discover all the potential that lies within themselves.     A few weeks ago, Educational Alliance learned that we had been awarded a five-year grant from New York State to make our afterschool programs even stronger and more enriching. In the video below - in which I interview Shawnia White, the Senior Director of Programs for our afterschool and summer programs - we discuss what we do and what this grant will mean for the hundreds of children and families that we serve here in Lower Manhattan. #nyc #education #nycschools #bees