Welcome to Around the Settlement, our monthly blog post sharing a deeper look into all of the vital programs and services provided by Grand St. Settlement throughout the Lower East Side, Brooklyn, and The Bronx.

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Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Baruch Community Center campers took a trip up to The Bronx to see their very first Yankees home game!

Bushwick Carnival

Bushwick CFC held its annual end-of-school-year carnival! Preschoolers celebrated a year of learning together with fun carnival games along with their families!

Color Me Marcy

Marcy Community Center campers explored a world of color at the Color Factory! Campers reveled in an immersive artistic experience unlike any other. Participants explored rooms filled with interactive installations and exhibits where they could craft and play the day away!

NORC Nutrition

Baruch Elder Services Team (BEST) NORC is brushing up on their health and nutrition knowledge! After a three-session series on learning about managing cholesterol and making heart-healthy and blood-sugar-friendly choices, participants finished up by learning how to make sweet potato with ginger sauce, hot‑and‑sour shredded potato salad, and vegetable curry!

Under the Sea

Did you know you can explore the ocean in your very own classroom? Delancey CFC students kicked off their ocean exploration unit with a creative twist, making their own sensory ocean bottles, recyclable jellyfish, and “fishing” for ocean animals!

Inside Our Emotions

Do you find it easy or hard to express your emotions? Kindergarten and first graders at Beacon Community Center are getting the hang of it after a special day watching Pixar’s Inside Out and collaborating on a poster portraying different emotions.

BEST X VNS Health

Baruch Elder Services Team NORC regularly partners with coaches from VNS Health, one of the largest nonprofit home- and community-based health care organizations. BEST NORC’s VNS Health Coach regularly meets with participants to guide them in setting health goals and navigating the complex medical system, including ensuring one of our participants, Mr. A finally managed to receive his custom motorized wheelchair!

Stepping Up on the Dance Floor

This year’s Stuyvesant Heights’ Stepping Up Ceremony had a little twist this year: students also attended their first-ever Prom! Students were dressed to the nines as they celebrated their accomplishments making it to Kindergarten.

Intro to Zoology

Lyons Community School students are flexing their new animal behavior skills as they observed their classroom’s own bearded dragon, Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Our young zoologists observed Cinnamon’s behavior, mood, and satisfaction with his environment. Although Cinnamon Toast Crunch did not give out any grades, his relaxed demeanor indicated he was happy to be treated so well!

Looking Both Ways

Deputy Director of Safety Education from the NYC Department of Transportation Eric Miu joined our Senior Housing participants for a Safety Education Workshop to present tips on traffic and pedestrian safety.

The School of Music and Dance

Bronx School for Music brought the joy of music directly into our Family Child Care partners! Students got to move their bodies to the sweet tunes. We’re grateful this partnership helps us create memorable learning and developmental experiences for our young musicians!

Connecting Through Art

Seward Park Community Centered formed connections this month on FreeArts Day! FreeArts volunteers stopped by and paired off with participants with one goal in mind: create 3 different art projects together, all centered around the theme of storytelling through art.

Cooling Down at Gowanus

This summer’s been a hot one so far, so Gowanus Community Center campers used their local playground’s sprinkler features to enjoy a cool day at the park!

My First Day as a Teacher

Early Head Start teachers at our partner sites attended a presentation and training on the 2K program curriculum. We can’t wait for the upcoming school year!

Walking the Tech Carpet

Best Buy Teen Tech Center members Noura, Kevin, Kalina, and Bella were invited to be a part of this year’s Best Buy Foundation's Charity Classic Gala! Noura, Kevin, and Kalina presented episodes of their podcast The Launch Podcast, and Bella spoke about her experience as one of the designers for the MyCauseforCleats campaign where she designed a pair of cleats for Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.

Aaaand Stretch!

Nothing’s better than a mommy and me yoga class! Except perhaps a mommy and me yoga class at Grand Street’s Yoga session. These light yoga sessions are essential for our Home Base Program families and kids, especially to get the body moving and connecting with other Grand Street families!

Slam Dunk!

School for Global Leaders participants and staff went head-to-head in a thrilling game of basketball with Educational Alliance’s participants and staff. After a thrilling match, our School for Global Leaders team was victorious!

Fire Safety from Brooklyn to the Bronx

Sunset Park West CFC participants took a school trip to their local firehouse! The firefighters gave a tour of the building, the truck (usually the biggest hit on the trip), and shared important safety info on how students should respond in case of an emergency and useful safety tips for our little ones.

At Pelham Parkway CFC, the fire department came to the classroom to lead a session on what to do in case of an emergency. Thank you to our emergency responders for providing such an engaging and educational workshop for our preschoolers!

Reusing Containers

What can you use an old shoebox for? What about an empty water bottle? Or some old jars? Our young learners at Seward Park CFC are exploring what different containers are used for. They also brought out their art supplies and learned how to repurpose them with a creative twist!

Triborough Team

Early Childhood Managers from Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx teams gathered for a day of Leadership Training on Team Building and Coaching Skills!

Get Ready to Launch!

Lafayette Gardens Community Center campers were launched into an exciting field trip to Launch Trampoline Park! Campers stayed afloat playing games of dodgeball on the trampolines and enjoyed exploring the park’s obstacle course, too.

Arcade Games

Williamsburg Community Center enjoyed their first field trip of the summer to the classic Dave & Buster’s arcade. They raced each other down pixelated motorways and challenged each other to a friendly skee-ball competition before reaping their rewards at the prize counter!