Harlem Dowling-West Side Center for Children & Family Services

Harlem Dowling-West Side Center for Children & Family Services Supporting children and families with care, dignity, and strength since 1836.

We help families stay together through education, family support, afterschool programs, and access to food—building confidence, resilience, and brighter futures across NYC.

Summer is almost here, and we are ready! ☀️Starting in July, our programs kick off at PS 36 and PS 153. Dance. Robotics....
06/11/2026

Summer is almost here, and we are ready! ☀️

Starting in July, our programs kick off at PS 36 and PS 153. Dance. Robotics. Soccer. Yoga. Art. Homework help. Real connections with adults who genuinely show up.

This is what summer should look like: structured, joyful, and full of the kind of experiences that carry kids into fall stronger than they left.

To every family whose child is enrolled in our programs: get ready. July is coming. 💛 Follow along all summer, and look out for our after-school programs returning in September.
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¡El verano ya casi está aquí y estamos listos! ☀️

A partir de julio, nuestros programas comienzan en la PS 36 y PS 153. Baile. Robótica. Fútbol. Yoga. Arte. Ayuda con las tareas. Conexiones reales con adultos que genuinamente se presentan.

Así es como debería verse el verano: estructurado, lleno de alegría, y repleto del tipo de experiencias que llevan a los niños al otoño más fuertes de como salieron.

A cada familia cuyo hijo está inscrito en nuestros programas: prepárense. Julio se acerca. 💛 Síguenos durante todo el verano, y estén atentos a nuestros programas extraescolares que regresan en septiembre.

🔗 harlemdowling.org

06/10/2026

We have to bring this one back. 🏀

Back in 2024, the New York Knicks and Garden of Dreams hosted Kids' Day at Madison Square Garden—and our afterschool program students were in the building. More than 20 of our kids got to take in the game live, with some experiencing it from the press box. And that same day, Beyond Meat presented Harlem Dowling with a $15,000 donation.

For a lot of these students, that was their first time inside the Garden. First time sitting that close to something this big, in this city, with people in their corner making it happen.

Tonight, Game 4 of the NBA Finals tips off. The Knicks are up 2–1 against the San Antonio Spurs, and New York is one win closer to something special. Our kids know what it feels like to be welcomed into that arena, and tonight we're cheering right along with them.

Let's go, Knicks!! Harlem is watching 🧡💙

🎵 "Go NY Go!"—Dave Anesh → youtu.be/ml9mF9Gc7ZA

NYC Dept. of Youth & Community Development

The Afterschool Alliance just released new research, and one number is sitting with us: Only 13% of kids from low-income...
06/09/2026

The Afterschool Alliance just released new research, and one number is sitting with us: Only 13% of kids from low-income families are enrolled in summer programs. Not because their parents aren’t trying. The data shows parents of 24.6 million children want this for their kids. The wall is cost. It’s almost always cost.

What that means on the ground: the kids who need enrichment the most are the least likely to get it. The learning gaps that open over the summer are real, documented, and they fall hardest on communities like ours.

That’s the gap Harlem Dowling’s summer programming exists to close. This summer, more kids in Central Harlem have a seat at the table. That’s not nothing. That’s everything.

🔗 Read the full report: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/05/19/3297883/0/en/New-Study-Half-of-U-S-Children-Whose-Parents-Want-Structured-Summer-Learning-Programs-for-Them-Are-Missing-Out.html

Alliance

🎨⚽🎵 Do you have a talent you'd love to share with kids?We're looking for Activity Specialists to bring creativity, movem...
06/08/2026

🎨⚽🎵 Do you have a talent you'd love to share with kids?

We're looking for Activity Specialists to bring creativity, movement, and inspiration to our after-school programs in Harlem.

Whether your passion is art, music, dance, sports, fitness, or another hands-on activity, this role gives you the chance to help students discover new interests, build confidence, and have fun after school.

📍 PS 36 & PS 129
🕒 About 10 hours per week
💵 $40/hour

This is a great opportunity for artists, performers, coaches, instructors, and creative professionals looking for meaningful part-time work in the community.

Learn more and apply:
🔗 https://bit.ly/PartTimeActivitySpecialist

06/05/2026

Watch what happens when you hand third graders some playdough and challenge them to build a working car circuit. Before they got there, our PS 153 after-school team walked them through the vocabulary one piece at a time: battery, wires, positive, negative, grounded, consumer, switch. Each concept on its own. Then together. Then they built it.

Our program director, Ms. Ashley Adams, said it best: "This activity only required the will to learn, creativity, and playdough."

This is what after-school looks like at Harlem Dowling. Every day, across four Central Harlem schools, kids are doing things that would surprise you. 💛

NYC Dept. of Youth & Community Development

“Father” isn’t always the name on the birth certificate. Sometimes it’s the uncle who never missed a game. The grandfath...
06/04/2026

“Father” isn’t always the name on the birth certificate. Sometimes it’s the uncle who never missed a game. The grandfather who saved Sunday mornings. The older brother who said “I got you” and meant it every single time.

Father’s Day is coming, and we want to celebrate all of them. The men who showed up when they didn’t have to. Who asked “how was school” and actually waited for the answer. Who stayed.

Kids carry that. Research backs up what we already know in our bones: a present, engaged man in a child’s life changes the whole trajectory.

💙 Know a man who’s showing up? Tell him this week. For real.
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“Padre” no es siempre el nombre en el certificado de nacimiento. A veces es el tío que nunca faltó a un partido. El abuelo que guardó los domingos. El hermano mayor que dijo “yo te tengo” y lo cumplió cada vez.

El Día del Padre se acerca, y queremos celebrarlos a todos. Los hombres que se presentaron cuando no tenían que hacerlo. Que preguntaron “¿Cómo te fue en la escuela?” y de verdad esperaron la respuesta. Que se quedaron.

Los niños cargan eso. La investigación respalda lo que ya sabemos en los huesos: un hombre presente y comprometido en la vida de un niño cambia toda la trayectoria.

💙 ¿Conoces a un hombre que se está presentando? Díselo esta semana. De verdad.

Caribbean American Heritage Month hits different when you’re in Central Harlem. 🌺 The families we serve carry this herit...
06/03/2026

Caribbean American Heritage Month hits different when you’re in Central Harlem. 🌺 The families we serve carry this heritage every single day—in the food, the music, the language, the deep-down “we take care of our own” energy that runs through everything.

Caribbean roots shaped this neighborhood. That resilience, that culture, that community-first spirit, it’s woven into who we are at Harlem Dowling too.

This month, we celebrate you. Loudly. 🌺

Summer is almost here, and for kids in our programs, it's going to be a good one. 💛Starting July 1, Harlem Dowling's Sum...
06/02/2026

Summer is almost here, and for kids in our programs, it's going to be a good one. 💛

Starting July 1, Harlem Dowling's Summer Rising program runs through August 14, made possible through NYC funding. For families in Central Harlem, that means a safe, enriching summer is already taken care of.
But summer is eight weeks. The school year is ten months.

Afterschool is where the daily work happens: the homework help, the mentorship, the consistent adults kids can count on all year long. That part isn't city-funded. That part runs on community.

If you can give, your gift keeps afterschool strong—so when summer ends, the support doesn't. 💛

Donate today: harlemdowling.networkforgood.com/projects/144650-main-giving-page

Pride Month is a reminder that feeling welcomed, respected, and valued matters. 🌈💛Strong communities are built when peop...
06/01/2026

Pride Month is a reminder that feeling welcomed, respected, and valued matters. 🌈💛

Strong communities are built when people feel they belong and can show up as themselves. This month—and every month—we celebrate care, compassion, and the many people who help make our communities stronger!

La comunidad crece cuando las personas se sienten bienvenidas, respetadas y valoradas. 💛

There’s always something happening at Harlem Dowling—from family support and after-school programs to community resource...
05/28/2026

There’s always something happening at Harlem Dowling—from family support and after-school programs to community resources, hiring updates, and ways to get involved. 💛

Want to stay connected without missing what matters?

Text SUBSCRIBE to (888) 839-4265 to receive updates from Harlem Dowling.

Learn more about our programs: https://www.harlemdowling.org/programs.html

Address

2139 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard
New York, NY
10027

Telephone

+12127493656

Website

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