Leadership Education and Athletics in Partnership
Creating a New Haven for Our Children
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
LEAP’s programs are designed to enable young people from low-income neighborhoods to overcome significant obstacles to economic opportunity including: • Unsatisfactory and underfunded schools, resulting in low literacy, math, and computer skills; • Isolation in high poverty, racially segregated neighborhoods; • Few role models who can guide them down a path from high school to college to employment and economic sustainability; • Lack of entry-level jobs leading to full-time employment. The five New Haven neighborhoods served by LEAP have child poverty rates ranging from 43% to 59%; levels 3 times higher than the Connecticut average of 14%. This concentrated poverty limits the full range of opportunities to which all young people should have access. For instance, only 17% of low-income students in New Haven are reading at grade level compared to 58% of high-income students (DataHaven). These are the challenges faced by our youth.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
LEAP Children's Program
The Children’s Program is a year-round out-of-school-time program designed to build kids’ reading fluency and comprehension skills through a culturally relevant curriculum that caters to different learning needs. The program’s thematic curriculum highlights characters of color and uses hands-on activities to help students synthesize the content they read. During the school year, children also receive additional academic support such as homework help. LEAP’s focus on literacy and academic support runs alongside our focus on enrichment. We believe that all young people should have access to a rich variety of experiences through which to broaden their horizons and explore their strengths and talents. LEAP offers enrichment classes in the arts, biking, ballet, camping, cooking, and more to give children growth opportunities they might not otherwise have access to. We serve approximately 1,200 children, 96% of which identify as Black and/or Latino.
LEAP Youth Development Program
The Youth Development Program is multi-tiered and targeted to meet the unique developmental needs of this age group.
* Leaders-in-Training (13-15) have their own curriculum that recognizes their social and educational needs while preparing them for leadership. LITs build conflict resolution skills; learn to problem solve; make good decisions on health/sexuality; and receive PSAT prep.
* Junior Counselors (16-18) are high school students who support Senior Counselors in serving LEAP children, gaining valuable job experience and an opportunity to develop leadership skills at a young age. JCs receive college access support services, including SAT prep and personalized guidance from professionals.
* Senior Counselors (18-24) are college students gaining work experience and receive support in their personal and professional development. SCs serve LEAP children as teachers and mentors, creating curricula that maximize their children’s learning capacity and broaden their worldview.
LEAP Computer Science: Learning to Code
LEAP is working to resolve the disproportionally few low-income people of color pursuing STEM careers, caused by a lack opportunities and pipeline programs to engage with STEM topics early in life for New Haven youth. LEAP’s Learning to Code Program offers low-income students of color (ages 9-15) classes on coding, programming, robotics, blogging and vlogging, animation, and website design. Classes are free and occur once a week year-round. They are single-gender and tiered by age so students are in educational spaces that are comfortable and developmentally appropriate.
LEAP Aquatics Program
LEAP offers free swimming classes and sessions year-round to all children enrolled in the LEAP Children's Program (ages 7-12), as well as LEAP's Leaders in Training (ages 13-15), and extend these classes to the New Haven community for a very low cost (which are currently on hold due to the pandemic). We currently serve over 300 children and teens annually. LEAP's Aquatics Program is dedicated to addressing the disturbing reality that Black children are five times more likely to drown in a swimming pool compared to white children (CDC). LEAP also trains and hires lifeguards of color, nearly half of whom learned how to swim with LEAP. LEAP children thus have young Black and Latino teenagers as lifeguards and swim instructors who understand the unique challenges they face. As we continue to expand our Aquatics Program, we are especially focusing on girls' mentoring and lifeguard development.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of participants engaged in programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Children and youth, Young adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total unduplicated youth in LEAP's mentorship program. Children ages 7-12 participated in free enrichment activities; youth ages 13-24 received leadership training and workforce development.
Number of children in LEAP's summer literacy program
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
LEAP Children's Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Numbers experienced a slight decrease in 2020 due to modified capacity during COVID-19. In 2022, 678 children participated.
Number of youth receiving services (e.g., groups, skills and job training, etc.) with youths living in their community
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Young adults, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
LEAP Youth Development Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
All Leaders in Training (teens ages 13-15) and counselors (ages 16-24) gain valuable job experience, as well as personalized academic support, professional development, and leadership training.
Number of children in LEAP's Children's Program year-round
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Low-income people, Children and youth
Related Program
LEAP Children's Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Did not start collecting unduplicated number of children year-round until 2021.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
LEAP believes that New Haven's low-income teenagers and young adults can be the solution to issues in their neighborhoods, not the cause. Our goal is to provide young people with the tools to shape their futures and the future of their community. We aim to serve approximately 1000 children ages 7-15 with high-quality after school and summer programming every year, as well as provide approximately 200 teenagers and young adults with the training and resources to run these programs.
At LEAP, every young person is able to explore opportunities that might otherwise have been inaccessible due to socio-economic barriers. Children develop skills necessary for their future through a variety of extended learning opportunities, such as literacy classes, swimming lessons, and computer science workshops. Young adults have the chance to develop professionally, emotionally and academically while serving their communities through LEAP’s multi-tier mentorship model.
LEAP is purposefully structured so that children are surrounded by strong role models - young people trained to be effective mentors and who are on positive life paths. Following our mentorship model, many children who participate in LEAP grow up to become counselors themselves, or even full-time programming staff. LEAP is the largest employer of young people in New Haven, but we do more than impact individual lives through education and employment. We build a community with power and purpose that extends into New Haven's neighborhoods and beyond.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
LEAP has two main programs: the Children’s Program and the Youth Development Program. In the Children's Program, LEAP helps children ages 7-12 develop skills necessary for their future through a variety of learning opportunities. In addition to homework help and tutoring, we offer a broad range of activities year-round in the arts, sports, humanities, and sciences that enable every child to explore their interests and talents, regardless of socio-economic background. Additionally, LEAP partners with many local organizations like the New Haven Bar Association, the Appalachian Mountain Club, and the Yale Peabody Museum to provide other unique educational resources.
In the Youth Development Program, LEAP offers young adults ages 13-24 the chance to develop professionally, emotionally and academically while serving their communities. We use a multi-tiered mentorship model designed to meet youth where they are in their development and give them the appropriate level of responsibility and support. Youth can progress from the Children’s Program to become LITs when they turn 13. After apprenticing until they are 16, they can work as JCs when they are in high school and finally SCs when they are in college. Counselors are supervised by LEAP’s programming staff, many of whom were once LEAP counselors themselves. LEAP is unusual in that almost all direct services are provided by young people of color with backgrounds and interests like those of the children served. This makes them effective mentors and strong, positive role models for the children.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
LEAP is committed to providing high-quality, community-based services that center the talents of people with backgrounds and interests like those of the children served. LEAP’s programming staff are almost all people of color, and many are former counselors or children in LEAP's programs. They have decades of personal, educational and professional experience working with low-income children of color. LEAP also has extensive experience building and maintaining relationships with supporters on both the local and national level. We have a strong network of community partners and donors built upon decades of trust, which enables us to provide high-quality resources and programming year-round. In recent years, as government grants become less and less reliable, we have also expanded our capacity to identify and secure new funding partnerships.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2019-2020, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, LEAP accomplished these milestones:
• LEAP served a total of 896 young people: 638 unique children, 87 Leaders-in-Training, 12 Swim Instructors, 79 Junior Counselors and 92 Senior Counselors.
• 267 LEAP children participated in the summer literacy program; on average, they read 4 books and took home 3 more to build their home libraries.
• 136 children (93% girls) learned basic computer science, animation, blogging, and robotics through the Learning to Code program.
• 226 children took free swimming lessons in LEAP’s pool.
• 94% of children reported that being in LEAP makes them happier.
• 86% of children said that LEAP makes them healthier or more active.
• 83% of LITs reported that they feel more prepared for future careers because of the program.
• 94% of counselors felt they had been successful mentors to their students.
• 100% of LEAP high school seniors graduated and matriculated to 2-year or 4-year colleges.
Naz, a rising senior studying communications at the University of Connecticut, began his journey at LEAP as a LEAP kid. After nine years at LEAP, Naz reminisces about what this organization has meant to him, saying: "LEAP has had a big impact on my life because I’ve been here since I was 12 years old. I also was an LIT myself. LEAP showed me how to become the greatest leader I could possibly be. And I think it’s impacted me in a very positive way because serving as a counselor to the program, especially the LIT program — the same program I was in myself — makes me want to give back and have the same impact on my kids that LEAP had on me."
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Leadership Education and Athletics in Partnership
Board of directorsas of 11/04/2022
Ed Cleary
T.M. Byxbee Company
Term: 2020 - 2023
Ann Baker Pepe
The Foote School
Term: 2020 - 2023
Anne Calabresi
Community Volunteer
Jerome Meyer
Artist; Community Volunteer
Roslyn Meyer
Psychologist
William Dyson
State Representative, Retired
Cynthia Mann
Pediatrician
Susan B. Kerley
Community Activist
Marcus A. McFerren
Dermatologist
Tai Richardson
Juvenile Probation Officer
Stephen Wizner
Yale Law School, Professor
Kenneth Russell
Guilford Savings Bank Wealth Management, CEO & President
Alexis Smith
New Haven Legal Assistance Association, Executive Director
Deborah Stanley-McAulay
Yale University, Human Resources Officer
Adriana Joseph
Clifford Beers Clinic, COO
Clifton Watson
Jewett Center for Community Partnerships at Wesleyan, Director
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
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