RELEASE: February 23, 2000

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NEWARK -- Gov. Christie Whitman's $450,000 expansion of an after-school enrichment program will benefit hundreds more school-age children in New Jersey's special-needs school districts. Through nine new Family Friendly programs housed in elementary and middle schools throughout the state, students and their families will receive educational and health services as well as social and cultural opportunities that otherwise may not be available to them.

Human Services Commissioner Michele K. Guhl announced the new grants today when she visited the Family Friendly Center at the Avon Avenue Elementary School in Newark. Each grant of up to $50,000 provides for enhancement services for after-school programs in special-needs districts.

The centers offer a host of services not available in traditional school-age child care programs and serve the family as well as the student.

"Governor Whitman launched the Family Friendly program for children of working families who have limited access to health and social services and little or no access to educational or cultural enrichment activities," said Commissioner Guhl.

Gov. Whitman announced the Family Friendly Center initiative in October 1998, providing $2.1 million in funding for 41 sites that serve about 2,700 children and their families. The program helps provide quality school-age childcare for families who have entered the workforce and have limited resources for their children. It was also designed to open public schools to families in the community -- creating a sort of neighborhood center.

By enlisting the support of community-based organizations, Family Friendly grants provide enrichment services to supplement the daily activities of an after-school program.

Weekly on-site activities include music, drama and art programs. Family Fun nights bring students together with parents and siblings for recreational activities.

Other services include recreational programs, cultural events and instruction, field trips, civic projects, and activities associated with Boy/Girl Scouts, 4-H Clubs, or YMCA/YWCA. Students and their families can also benefit from health screenings, substance abuse programs, health and safety education, counseling services, tutoring services, mentoring and leadership development.

"For students who have never left their neighborhoods, let alone their cities, the Family Friendly Centers have given them the chance to see the ocean, museums, zoos, cultural and sporting events," said Commissioner Guhl. "They have also enjoyed nature hikes and swimming lessons through partnerships with organizations like the YMCA."

Babyland Family Services Inc. operates the Family Friendly Center at Newark's Avon Avenue School, and it serves 36 students in grades one through eight. Among the services provided are daily academic tutoring, music lessons, dance lessons, aerobics classes, arts and crafts, and monthly field trips.

Students at the Center performed a hip-hop dance for Commissioner Guhl during her visit, to show what they learned in dance class. Other students displayed quilts they are making with local senior citizens through the Division on Aging's Sew Me a Story program.

Babyland Inc. also operates a Family Friendly Center at the Roseville Avenue School in Newark and has awarded a third grant for a new center at Newark's Dr. E. Alma Flagg School.