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Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation President Shelton J. Haynes Announces Major Youth Center Development

A youth center room filled with stools and cubbies

Roosevelt Island's Youth Center acquires its School Age Child Care License

A green circle logo with the outline of the state of New York

Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation has been managing the island since 1984

Shelton Haynes, President & CEO of the RIOC, has announced that the island’s Youth Center is now a licensed New York State School Age Child Care (SACC) center.

The advanced programming made available by grant funding will elevate RIOC's already exceptional array of programs and activities for our children to improve their social and cognitive skills.”
— Shelton Haynes

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, January 27, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Shelton Haynes, President & CEO of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC), has announced that the island’s Youth Center is now a licensed New York State School Age Child Care (SACC) center. SACC licenses cover non-residential child care facilities or programs that serve at least seven school age children under the age of 13 outside of school hours, both throughout the school year and during break periods.

To be licensed by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) as an official SACC center, facilities must meet specific standards set by the New York City Department of Health (DOH) and the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). Now that the Youth Center has successfully completed the licensing process, the RIOC is eligible to apply for grant opportunities, meaning it can expand program offerings for some of Roosevelt Island’s youngest residents.

Programming at the Roosevelt Island Youth Center

Beginning in 2019, RIOC began opening the Youth Center for children in need of after-school or drop-in summer care. But more than serving as a safe space for local youth, the center has become a hub of social connection and educational, recreational and artistic enrichment.

After undergoing a recent physical makeover, the Youth Center became a prime destination on Roosevelt Island, offering a wide range of instructional course work and programming including music production, podcast creation and film courses; STEAM, technology, math, engineering and science classes; and courses covering art, photography and culinary arts. There are even classes for chess lovers, kids who want to get in the garden, practice yoga or get into biking.

Shelton Haynes takes great pride in the center, noting it is “the hallmark destination on the Island for our kids to want to go to. Reimagining the Center was the first phase. Next was creating a safe space. The final phase is providing the gold standard of programming for children, on par with some of the best available in New York City. I am proud to say we accomplished that goal thanks to the SACC license."

Looking to the Future

With its SACC license, the Roosevelt Island Youth Center can now enter a new phase of development. All SACC licensed facilities are eligible to apply for new programming grants, at both the city and state level, of up to one million dollars, and RIOC plans to do just that. With the new funding opportunities, the youth center hopes to add off-island field trips to its current offerings, allowing Roosevelt Island youth to access the wide range of resources in greater New York City. Shelton Haynes says, “The advanced programming made available by grant funding will elevate RIOC's already exceptional array of programs and activities for our children to improve their social and cognitive skills.”

About Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC)

Launched in 1984, New York State formed the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) public benefit corporation to plan, design, develop, operate, secure and maintain the two-mile-long island. RIOC’s mission is to enhance the island's residential community while focusing on environmentally friendly ways to maintain and enhance the network of island roads, parks, buildings and public transportation, including the aerial tramway that has become a tourist destination for many visitors to New York City.

Akeem Jamal
Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation
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