Dear Partners,
All of us at the Institute would like to reach out to let you know we remain here for you during these uncertain times. Our initiatives and services, including New York Works for Children and Aspire, QUALITYstarsNY, the Informal Family Childcare Project, Coaching, the Career Development Center, the NYC Early Childhood Research Network and the Leadership Initiative, are all open.
We all share a primary concern – the health and well-being of children and families across New York State. During this unprecedented time, many families, but particularly health care workers, first responders, grocery store staff, and transit employees, will be relying on a diverse array of childcare arrangements. For those programs and individuals who are able to extend themselves to provide essential, stable, nurturing care, we thank you for your service.
For those of you who are doing your part by practicing social distancing, we thank you as well. We know that for a workforce used to being at the center of vibrant neighborhoods, isolation can be uncomfortable. Some educators are using this pause as a time to reflect on their practice; others may take this time to update their Aspire profiles, refresh their resumes, or complete the Training and Technical Assistance Professional Credentials. Participants in QUALITYstarsNY may find more concentrated time to work on their Quality Improvement Plans. Please let us know how we can help you in your efforts. Each of us are available via email or telephone!
Wherever young children are, we are mindful of their ongoing nutritional, social-emotional, and educational needs. We are committed to joining you in finding the safest, most compassionate solutions to ensure children continue to thrive. In the coming days, we will be developing key resources to support you, including resources for self-care. We invite you to reach out to your touchpoints at the Institute to share your ideas, questions and concerns.
We wish you and your community health, safety and happiness. We will get through this together.
Sincerely,
Sherry M. Cleary
We want to hear from you!
New York, NY 10474
718.991.4300
New York, NY 10016
646.412.0600
No Kid Hungry: The organization also has plans in place to ensure families know how to find food while schools are closed and making sure kids get three meals a day. Their website includes information for program leaders on what they can do to receive funds for food services, as well as policies and procedures for agencies to set up grab and go meal sites.
Hunger Free America: Provides food guides in multiple languages across the boroughs on how families can access food and food benefits. The guides are found on their website.
Fresh Food Pantry: Farmers donate their fresh fruits and vegetables to local food pantries, homeless facilities, soup kitchens, and community centers in all five boroughs. The services provided are limited during the pandemic, but some are still open. Click the link above for current schedule.
NY Common Pantry: New York Common Pantry works toward the reduction of hunger and food insecurity through an array of programs that function to establish long term independence for those we serve. Some services are being reduced during the pandemic but current offerings can be found at this link above.
Food Bank NYC: Food Bank For New York City has been the city’s major hunger relief organization working to end hunger throughout the five boroughs for more than 30 years. During the pandemic Food Bank NYC is providing resources on how to get food as well as applying for benefits such as SNAP, etc.
Directory of Soup Kitchens and Homeless Shelters – provides information on shelters and food distribution sites nationwide.
Salvation Army Manhattan Citadel-175 East 125th St, 7th Floor, New York, NY 1003 provides shelter and other services and is open through the pandemic. Operational Resources and Unemployment Benefits
- NYS Dept. of Labor – Filing an unemployment insurance claim
- Unemployment Insurance Rules for Teachers & Other School Workers
Assistance and Guidance for Businesses Impacted Due to Novel Cornonavirus: City will provide relief for small businesses across the City seeing a reduction in revenue because of COVID-19. Businesses with fewer than 100 employees who have seen sales decreases of 25% or more will be eligible for zero interest loans of up to $75,000 to help mitigate losses in profit.
The City is also offering small businesses with fewer than 5 employees a grant to cover 40% of payroll costs for two months to help retain employees.
