Financing Child Care in the United States - Ewing Marion Kauffman ...

LOCAL GOVERNMENT
BEACONS (NEW YORK, NEW YORK)
DESCRIPTION
Beacons are school–based community centers that
provide children, youth and families with activities and
programs in the after–school, evening and weekend
hours.
WHEN ESTABLISHED
The first ten Beacons were established in 1991 in
high–crime, high–drug–use neighborhoods. In 1992,
11 new Beacons targeted neighborhoods with high rates
of child neglect and abuse and those with new immigrant
populations. In 1993, there were 16 new Beacons, thus
assuring at least one Beacon in each New York City
school district. In 1996, three more Beacons were added.
In 1998 and 1999, 41 Beacons were added, assuring
one Beacon in every City Council district, for a total of
81 Beacons.
ANNUAL AMOUNT
The New York City Department of Youth and Community
Development (DYCD) is the primary funder of the
Beacons, providing $40 million annually in core program
support, administration and technical assistance. Each
Beacon receives an annual budget of $400,000 from the
$40 million. An additional $50,000 is set aside per
Beacon that goes directly from DYCD to the Board of
Education to assure use of the school buildings during
the hours the Beacons are open. Individual Beacons may
and do seek other resources from foundations,
businesses and government.
SERVICES FUNDED
Beacons are located in neighborhood public schools and
operated by nonprofit community organizations. Beacons
are open in the after–school, evening and weekend
hours. The Beacons have four core elements that guide
the service mission: youth development, participation and
leadership; parent involvement and family support;
educational support and enrichment, and community
building. Youth development, participation and leadership
activities include arts, sports and cultural programs;
computer classes; job readiness and employment/college
preparation assistance; volunteer and paid employment
opportunities for youth, and youth council and peer
education programs. Parent involvement and family
support program examples include GED, ESL and
computer classes, parent education and family support
groups; parent councils; recreation and sports, immigrant
services, intergenerational and cultural programming, and,
at selected Beacons, services to families whose children
are at high–risk of foster–care placement. Educational
support and enrichment activities may be found in
tutoring, homework assistance, SAT preparation,
computer and writing courses. Thematic education is
incorporated throughout the activities. The community
building mission is achieved by hiring community
residents, engaging in community dialogues,
problem–solving and advocacy, and establishing a
community advisory board for each Beacon. Mini–grant
programs and youth–driven community service projects
also help realize the community building mission.
In 1999, a coordination framework was developed
between the sponsoring government agency, the
Department of Youth and Community Development, and
the Board of Education, based on principles developed by
a working group of individuals and organizations involved
with the Beacons. These principles that make up the
coordination framework have been written down and
signed by Beacon directors and principals, but they do
not constitute a legally binding agreement. This
framework is meant to help support all the parties
involved with the Beacons in their relationship, create a
structured dialogue between the Board of Education and
DYCD, and provide a forum for examining the role of
Board of Education standards, rules and regulations in
support of the Beacons.
Technical assistance is provided to the Beacons through
the Fund for the City of New York and its Youth
Development Institute. The Institute facilitates a peer
network of leadership designed to foster and share best
practice strategies. Training, on–site consultation and
enhancement grants are used by the Institute to facilitate
this work. The Institute also works to increase the use of
evaluation and assessment data to inform practice, and
works with a variety of governmental and nonprofit
organizations seeking to improve youth outcomes in the
community.
HOW FUNDS DISTRIBUTED
The Department of Youth and Community Development
enters into a contract with a community organization for
each Beacon. The community organization has
administrative and fiscal oversight of the Beacon and is
responsible for direct services to Beacon participants,
staff hiring and professional development, and program
and resource development. The community organizations
are selected through a competitive application process.
DYCD has ongoing responsibility for fiscal and
programmatic monitoring to assure compliance with
departmental regulations and contractual obligations.
Technical support also is provided by DYCD to help
Beacons negotiate the complexities of space agreements,
collaborations and subcontracts.
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