Services
Youth and Family Program/Teen Drop-In Center (TDIC)
Program Overview
The Youth & Family Program provides a safe haven for our children in both our Summer Camp & after School Program. During the months of July & August our Summer Camp provides children the opportunity to attend various field trips and hands on interactive STEM workshops. During the school year our after school program provides our students quality after school tutoring service from qualified tutors/mentors. We provide our students the foundation they need to excel in school in hopes that one day they will further their education once they graduate High School.
Qualifications
- Students only need to be in the Middle or High School in order to attend our program (not just in the Hempstead Area can be any school district)
- Our program is FREE of charge
- No legal status is required
- We do not provide transportation other than to Hempstead Middle & High School.
- Families in our program are referred to Mental Health, SUD, Respite, & Parenting Services here at HCC. We have also referred our families to our own food pantry and have also linked them to outside resources when and if necessary.
Program Coordinator
Janet Anderson, B.S.
(516) 538-2613 Ext. 232
janderson@hispaniccounseling.org
Location
Nassau County
Funding by the Nassau County Office of Youth Services.
The Reason
The Youth & Family Program has been designed as we have families that have just arrived to this country and are in dire need of resources in the community. We give them the coping skills to become integrated members of our society and also give the parents the tools they need to navigate the school districts. Due to the language barrier and their financial situations, parents can’t help their children with their homework and do not have the money to hire a tutor. Also low income families can’t afford to pay a high fee for a Summer Camp although they need it very much so that they can go to work and support their families. Another reason for this program is because the primary community of Hempstead is known for its drug, alcohol, gangs and teen pregnancy at risk behaviors.
The Solution
We want to be part of the solution not the problem by focusing on the students as a whole meaning helping them with the educational part of their lives with the tutoring services we provide, mental health, we offer them yoga, boxing, refer them to counseling by our licensed therapist, provide EBP prevention workshops and also are mentors for our youth were we listen to them and guide them in the right path. By giving our youth hope that they can become anything they want to be as long as they work hard for it, we establish a good rapport with our students and parents. Giving our youth the opportunity to go on field trips throughout the year and have them actively participate in workshops like Robotics. Coding, 2D Game Development, are opening the doors to such experiences which are geared towards engineering, our youth are exposed to learning great career opportunities in these fields.
The Implementation
Students and families that are in our program are never judged yet are welcomed by us. We gladly help our families with any and all problems they may face in our community when and if it is in our capacity to do so. Understanding the family dynamic of each of our youth we work with is paramount as we pride ourselves with quality services. We meet and exceed each expectation our parents may have for their students as we are so involved in the school district and have become the liaison between the schools and the parents especially due to the language barrier.
Testimonial
“My daughter has been going to Hispanic Counseling Center now for almost six years and I can honestly say it is by far the best summer camp ever!! They are extremely attentive, caring and most of all informative. When I tell you that they attend to every need you have that’s just an understatement because they do so much more. The counselors treat each and every student as a whole. They involve everyone in the daily activities and as the paranoid parent that I am when they take them on trips they are treated as their own. Safety is a major priority for them. Ms. Janet is just an amazing human being. She treats my daughter as her own, and not just mine, the entire camp at that! Trips are fun, activities keep them busy and it’s the best money you can ever spend knowing it’s all going towards your child having the best summer ever. I can tell you firsthand, I look forward to when camp is about to start, and I’m dreading when it’s just about ending asking to put me on the list for the upcoming year. That’s how much fun my daughter has. I highly recommend the camp!!!!”
Help Us Do More
We are always looking for donations for our Youth Programs so that our students can go on more field trips and have snacks.
During the Christmas season we are always in need of toy and gift cards donations.