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Public Service Projects School Age Child Care Scholarship Program The Colonie Youth Center (CYC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 1965 by a group of parents and teens that were interested in developing wholesome activities for children in the Town of Colonie. In the last 46 years the organization has developed three major areas of service: school age child care, counseling, and recreation. Two of CYC's most vital School Age Child Care (SACC) services are the beforeschool program and the afterschool program. Also known as “Latchkey” programs these services provide working parents with affordable quality child care for their children during non-school hours. Currently, the CYC SACC Department offers 12 before school and 15 afterschool programs all located in the Town of Colonie. These programs are offered everyday that school is in session in the school buildings of the North Colonie (including Maplewood) and South Colonie School Districts. Each site is registered with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. They serve approximately 700 children per year with at least 45 of the families falling into the category of low-and moderate-income. With block grant funding, the School Age Child Care Scholarship Program provides partial scholarships to those low- and moderate-income families who need before-school and after-school child care but are unable to afford them. It is CYC's belief that families must have some financial responsibility for this service therefore, no full scholarships are provided. Instead, eligible families have their fees reduced between 20 to 80 percent. The majority of the families in need of financial assistance are single-parent families where the parent is employed in an entry-level job. Bright Horizons Adult Day Services Colonie Senior Service Centers, Inc. (CSSC) was established in 1981 as a duly authorized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For over 30 years, the organization has served seniors and their families in the Town of Colonie and greater Capital Region. CSSC offers many programs and services including the Bright Horizons Adult Day Service Program. Bright Horizons is a structured, cost-effective, and comprehensive community-based social adult day services program which provides functionally impaired individuals over the age of 60 with socialization, supervision, and monitoring; personal care; and nutrition in a protective setting between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday at three locations in the Town of Colonie: Bright Horizons at Beltrone (Beltrone Living Center, 6 Winners Circle), Bright Horizons at Carondelet (St. Joseph's Provincial House, Watervliet Shaker Road), and Bright Horizons at Pine Grove (Pine Grove United Methodist Church, 1580 Central Avenue) This program allows physically and mentally frail older persons to remain with their family and in the community, providing social and emotional support in a secure and supervised day program. Bright Horizons provides an effective, efficient, and flexible solution for both caregivers and seniors to allow the elderly to age in place. For many seniors and their families the minimal cost of this program is a fraction of the cost they would incur to have the services of a home health aide. They recognize the value of the program and have the ability to pay. For others the benefits are highly valued, but they lack the ability to pay. CSSC works with both the Albany County Department of Aging and Catholic Charities to provide charity care for 8 to 10 families, but CSSC still has another 8 to 10 families who would benefit from Bright Horizons but who cannot afford this service. Block grant funding will be used to provide scholarships to these low- and moderate-income seniors. Big Brothers Big Sisters Youth Mentoring Program Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, Inc. is the local affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the nation's oldest, largest, and most successful youth-mentoring organization. The Capital Region agency (headquartered in Colonie) formed in 1997 when three agencies merged that previously served Albany , Schenectady/Saratoga, and Rensselaer counties. Altogether, the agency has served the area for more than 43 years. The agency has a single mission: to help vulnerable school-age children succeed at home, in school, and in their communities. It does this by matching each child with a carefully screened adult volunteer who becomes a long-term friend and mentor – a “Big Brother” or “Big Sister.” Once a match is made, the agency regularly tracks its progress and maintains ongoing contact with children, their families, and mentors. Approximately 97.5 percent of Colonie children the agency serves come from low-income families and 90 percent come from single-parent homes. One out of three comes from families that live below the poverty line. In 2010, Big Brothers Big Sisters served 22 children from the Town of Colonie. Block grant funds will be used by the agency to provide mentoring services to 20 additional impoverished Colonie children who are at risk of delinquency and school failure. |
