Sunnyside Community Services, Inc.

Family caregivers often experience stress and anxiety when faced with the challenges of providing care to family members with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or chronic illness. To help them manage the tremendous responsibility of caring for a loved one, Care NYC Social Workers and SCS Caregiver Support Specialists provide information and support to family caregivers, and connect them to various resources including in-home or social adult day care, long-term care planning, Medicaid applications, counseling, peer support groups, education and caregiver skills workshops, wellness activities, and more.

Sunnyside Community Services (SCS) serves approximately 3,000 individuals each year through programming geared to youth and families. A range of initiatives for youth from early childhood through college provide a balance of social, educational, and recreational activities. SCS also offers English classes for speakers of other languages, which help adults build the skills needed to communicate with their children’s teachers and doctors, as well as with employers, landlords, and others in the community.

Sunnyside UP Pre-Kindergarten Program: Sunnyside UP provides a pre-K education focused on exploration and discovery. The curriculum and program use the Department of Education units of study that align with the Common Core standard. Free pre-K is available for students who are four years old. The classroom also serves 3-year-olds, subject to availability.

After-School Programs: After-school programs provide fun and challenging enrichment activities for children in grades K – 8. Students receive help with homework, and develop literacy, math, and science skills as they complete project-based learning activities, such as creating their own comic books, writing and directing short films, and building model bridges. Nutrition, sports, dance and martial arts are also offered.

Youth Futures at Queens Tech: The Youth Futures program helps high school students and recent graduates from Queens Technical High School in Long Island City find summer employment, build career skills, and get the support they need for a balanced life. The initiative includes a career readiness program to help students and young adults transition from school to the workplace through internship opportunities, resume writing sessions, interview skills workshops, a summer youth employment program, and training in the foodservice or manufacturing industries. A college readiness program offers SAT prep classes, college admissions workshops, financial aid workshops, college application and essay writing workshops, college field trips, and individual advisement sessions. Mental health referrals, free vision screenings, and family/parent advisory meetings ensure that students get any assistance they may need in other areas of their lives.

Beacon Community Center: The SCS Beacon Community Centers at I.S. 5 and P.S. 343 offer structured after-school programs, summer camps, and drop-in activities. Health fairs and other events bring together local residents and celebrate the community’s diversity.

Cornerstone Program at Woodside Houses: The Cornerstone Program at Woodside Houses provides opportunities for children, teenagers, and adults to participate in structured after-school programs and drop-in activities including performing arts and music, athletics, computers, reading, chess, and more. Learning Labs are available for students to use while they are working on their schoolwork remotely during the pandemic. Health fairs and other collaborations with local community organizations bring together local residents and celebrate the community’s diversity.

SCS offers a free, four-week training program to become a Home Health Aide. Certified by the New York State Department of Health, this program provides a direct track to employment. Home Health Aides help with daily activities such as preparing meals, getting dressed, and going to appointments. Training is provided in English and Spanish.

SCS offers English classes for speakers of other languages (ESOL), which help immigrants build the skills needed to communicate with their children’s teachers and doctors, as well as with employers, landlords, and others in the community. In 2020, SCS partnered with Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement on ActionNYC. Through the ActionNYC program, immigrants will receive guidance about policy changes and legal issues, and be offered referrals for help with the specific challenges they are facing.