Hannah Hurwitz, The Narrative Project
Cesare Downing answers knock.
A knock came on the door of Cerese Downing as she was in the process of enrolling her 9‑year-old in an after-school program coming to her neighborhood. It was a team of recruiters for that very same program.
“I’m filling out the application right now!” Downing responded. “That’s spooky. I’m upstairs right now on my phone doing it. It’s a confirmation from God!”
Hannah Hurwitz, The Narrative Project
Downing’s home was one of over 100 that members of Leadership, Education & Athletics in Partnership (LEAP) and Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of New Haven (ECC/HANH) visited Wednesday afternoon.
The organizations partnered to recruit children between the ages of 7 and 12 to participate in LEAP’s free after-school program that just started in Quinnipiac Meadows, based at the Ross Woodward School.
The education-and-recreation program offers a place for children to “learn, explore and grow,” with mentorship, academic help, enrichment activities, and social-emotional learning, like mindfulness. They also provide participants with free meals.
Hannah Hurwitz, The Narrative Project
Essex Townhouses team.
The program, which launched in the 1990s, is offered in low-income and historically African American and Latino neighborhoods in New Haven: Dixwell, Dwight-Kensington, Fair Haven, the Hill, and Newhallville. On Monday, Quinnipiac Meadows was added to the list.
Now the job is to get the word out to families. So far 40 kids have enrolled at the site; there’s room for 30 more.
LEAP Executive Director Henry Fernandez said that because the program is new to the neighborhood, it’s important for the team to conduct outreach and meet with the families they serve. “As we build out here, we’re starting to have these kinds of door-to-door conversations and build relationships.”
Housing authority President Karen DuBois-Walton said that her colleagues who work closely with families canvassed alongside LEAP recruiters to offer a familiar face and bridge the gap between the program and parents. “What we’re doing today is canvassing all of the developments that we own or manage,” in the Quinnipiac Meadows area, to help facilitate “access to the families and to the kids,” she said.
Hannah Hurwitz, The Narrative Project
Junior Counselor Juan Boone.
This partnership has the potential to support longevity for participants in the program, DuBois-Walton said: LEAP can connect with the housing authority to check in on a kid with an inexplicable lapse in attendance. “That also keeps them engaged.”
Teams met Wednesday at five different complexes managed by the housing authority: Cornell Scott Ridge, St. Anthony 1 & 2, Quinnipiac Terrace, Eastview Terrace, and Essex Townhouses. Each team had leads from both organizations as well as a group of junior counselors — high school students 16 years or older who are paid members of the LEAP staff. They help facilitate programs and receive mentorship in professional development.
Leiyanie “Lee” Osorio, director of the LEAP Children’s Program, launched a team of junior counselors at Essex Townhouses led by Quinnipiac Meadows Site Coordinator Angelina Campos and ECC/HANH Community Economic Development Manager Gayatari Rana.
Lee Orosio instructs Essex Townhouses Team.
Osorio handed out fliers in both English and Spanish, as well as children’s books, to the team of LEAP counselors before sending them off. Osorio herself was excited to return to a snowball fight she saw among some kids at the development before the launch. “It looks like they’re having a lot of fun, so I’m going to go back around and say hello to them, and see what they’re all about.”
Eastview Terrace.
Meanwhile at Eastview Terrace, Jahvon Soto, Fair Haven South site coordinator, was breaking up a fight. “I talked to about six or seven kids that were out playing in the streets. I was like, ‘Yo! Stop it! Stop beating each other.’” Soto chatted with the kids and gave them all the LEAP fliers. “So they’re gonna give them to their parents, and hopefully they’ll be in LEAP next week.”
At one site, a thankful mother offered Newhallville Site Coordinator John Lee pizza for the group to ensure they stayed warm and nourished while knocking doors on a cold day. The family was unsure whether they could facilitate transportation for LEAP, so Lee gave them his number in hopes of providing guidance in other ways. “That was a nice reminder of what we’re doing: building relationships in the community,” he said.
Kimberly Wipfler Photo
John Lee.
Some of the junior counselors said that it was a difficult day to reach families face to- ace because many parents were in parent-teacher conferences. At houses where nobody answered, teams left fliers at the door or in the mailbox.
“With the family sites, it’s hit or miss because they’re working, and we don’t know the hours. But even if we get them the information, it’s good,” Rana said back at Essex.
Osorio said she hopes that LEAP’s mission will motivate others to create positive change in their communities, just as it inspired her when she first joined back in 2011. “Whether it be here in New Haven or beyond, it’s totally possible. If you believe that you are it, you can change the world.”
Families can apply online at www.leapforkids.org. Follow the tab “Programs,” select whichever option your family needs, and complete the application form at the bottom of the page. For more information, visit leapforkids.org or call (203) 773‑0770.
Thank you to LEAP for expanding into the Quinnipiac Meadows neighborhood for their youth programming. There should be LEAP after school and weekend programs with meals, homework assistance, enrichment programs, mentors, social-emotional learning, civic responsibilities and leadership skills training in every neighborhood in the city.