“The children of today will be the leaders of tomorrow.” 

“The Crispus Attucks Early Learning Center has been developing leaders for the York community for the past 75 years. Some examples are: Dr. Julia Hines-Harris, Mattie Chapman, football great Woody Bennett, and many, many others. Early intervention, along with quality programs and a genuine love for children are some of the many ingredients in developing a child’s mind. We partner with our Early Learning Center parents to provide a caring and nurturing environment for our young people. Your financial support will help us to continue to develop our leaders for tomorrow!”

Robert L. Simpson, Executive Director

The Crispus Attucks Early Learning Center:

• Licensed by Pennsylvania Department of Welfare – providing quality childcare since 1937
• NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) Accredited
• 4 STAR Rating in the Keystone STARS Program – Exceed state health and safety licensing requirements funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare
• Classrooms scored higher than the state average when rated by an Early Childhood Consultant using a National Environmental rating system
• Involved with school readiness initiative with Focus on Our Future and the York City School District – preparing children for kindergarten
• CAELC teachers continually exceed state requirements for training hours
• Payments accepted: Subsidy from Child Care Consultants, TANF, and/or Private pay
• SPECS (Scaling Progress in Early Childhood Settings) Program – University of Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital – the observation of children helps with identifying developmental delays and allows for early intervention
• We currently serve 110 children, ages 3 months – 12 years

If you are interested in enrolling your child in our Early Learning Center, please contact Carol Heagy 717-848-3610 ext. 231.

Crispus Attucks YouthBuild Charter School – Jacquie Martino, CEO

The 2009-2010 scheduled Board meetings of the Crispus Attucks YouthBuild Charter School will be held every 4th Monday of each month (unless otherwise noted) at 6:00 pm in the conference room at Crispus Attucks as follows:

• August 24, 2009
• September 28, 2009
• October 26, 2009
• November 23, 2009
• December 28, 2009
• January 25, 2010
• February 22, 2010
• March 22, 2010
• April 26, 2010
• May 24, 2010
• June 28, 2010
• July 26, 2010

Click here for our Annual Public Notice of Special Education Services and Programs, Services for Gifted Students, and Services for Protected Handicapped Students

The Crispus Attucks YouthBuild Charter School has successfully aligned our curriculum with the Pennsylvania Student State Standards and benchmarks. We were recognized by YouthBuild USA, our national parent organization, for our outstanding program. Each educator has a copy of the PA Student State Standards and benchmarks located in their classroom. The students who enter our program have committed themselves to positive change. They recite our mission statement every morning, with its focus on accepting responsibility and respectable leadership. The school’s aim is to help the student earn a high school education, develop employability skills, provide skills training and ultimately put them in a position to secure gainful employment. This is done by having a state certified curriculum, and a teaching staff that meets the requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. There is a Mental Toughness component that focuses primarily upon self-discipline and positive self-image.

Our constant endeavor to keep that mission alive and growing is established in the following areas and strengths:

• Maintain a safe, encouraging, supportive learning environment.
• Provide individualized pupil-centered education.
• Teach students how become effective, successful learners.
• Motivate and educate students to realize and achieve their highest intellectual potential.
• Instill the relevance of education for personal and professional success.
• Help former high school dropouts earn a high school diploma by meeting YouthBuild competencies and PDE standards.
• Encourage students to pursue post high school education in college, technical, business, or trade schools.

We look forward to another great year serving the youth of our community.

Transitional Program staff lead a life skills session with resident participants

The Crispus Attucks Transition program is a 12 week minimum rehabilitation  program for non-violent offenders leaving state correctional facilities.  Residents have 30 days to set-up a restitution payment plan,  complete drug and alcohol evaluations and secure employment. This programs  offers stability and responsibility for reentry into society.

York Southeast Neighborhood Before 1999

Our bilingual staff works diligently with tenants to provide them with safe, affordable, low/moderate-income housing. They also work with other community agencies that will assist our clients to help them improve their lives.

The Crispus Attucks Association’s commitment to provide low-income housing to the York community has reached a critical juncture. We have begun to evaluate current neighborhood needs, homeownership opportunities, partnerships with other not-for-profit organizations and the forging of new business partnerships. This evaluation will carry forward as we look to restructure the ownership structure, rehabilitate properties and fill the service gaps that exist in York.

Rental Housing

York's Southeast Neighborhood After 2003

The Maintenance Department maintains an inventory of supplies, a workshop area to repair large items, and space for additional training of YouthBuild students who may work nearby. This arrangement helps to save costs by allowing for better monitoring of equipment and supplies, consolidating services, and promoting efficiency of staff time.

The maintenance of our low-income housing units is a primary concern for the department. They continually strive to provide the best service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Ownership

Home ownership is one of the cornerstones of a stable neighborhood and a vital economy. Crispus Attucks Community Development Department is committed to supporting sustainable home ownership efforts within the southeast neighborhood.

Our VISION is to continue expanding our services to a growing and diverse population, increasing the standard of living for local residents along with a sense of responsibility for one’s self, family and community. The Center is open to everyone. Special attention is directed toward the economically and socially challenged, minorities, and the unskilled and under-skilled. The Center is supported by the United Way and collaborates with other United Way agencies, York area businesses, and local education/training facilities.

Programs of the Center for Employment and Training are covered in detail below.

General Employment Services

This program was developed for anyone who is seeking employment. We strive to empower participants in the York County area (York City in particular), to attain self-sufficiency through training, education, counseling and job placement. Program orientation and registration is offered monthly on Mondays at 9:30 a.m. to those interested in finding employment. We offer job readiness training through workshops, specific skills training, and resume assistance. Case management and supportive services are provided along with company referrals for interviews and job placement. Recently we added a new service to this component. We have been designated as a Career Link Access Point and a case manager will be on site to assist those York City/County residents seeking Career Link Services. If you are 18 years of age or older, are eligible to work in the Unites States and are a resident of York County, these services are available and free of charge.

Youth Employment Services

The York Youth Employment Services provides to in-school or out of school youth in York County the opportunity to complete their high school education, develop employability skills and skills specific training that will ultimately put them in a position to secure gainful employment. This program targets youth between the ages of 17-22 years old.

ELECT (Education Leading to Employment & Career Training)

This program is dedicated to working with pregnant and parenting teens up to age 22 residing in York City/County to empower them to complete their high school education, gaining economic independence and improving the quality of life for themselves and their children by becoming the best parents they can be.

ELECT currently provides services to the following schools: William Penn, Hannah Penn, Edgar Fahs Smith, West York, Southwestern, Spring Grove, Manito and CA Youthbuild Charter School. Some of the services provided are: health & nutrition education, individual and group support, job preparation and career exploration, secondary pregnancy prevention, intensive case management, domestic violence information, GED preparation, monitoring of school attendance, parenting education and life skills, field trips, workshops and various activities to broaden their knowledge in infant/child safety and assisting with childcare needs.

E.F.I (ELECT Fatherhood Initiative)

Teen fathers or fathers to be up to 22 years of age can be a part of this component which empowers them to complete their high school education, gain economic independence, and become responsible, respectable role models in the lives of their children. The services available are: child development and parenting education, infant and child safety training, job preparation and career exploration, individual & group support, healthcare & nutrition education, Fatherhood Responsibility workshops, parenting and life skills education, GED preparation (when necessary), and various activities i.e. field trips, conferences and related seminars. Participants must reside in York City/County and be willing to or in the process of establishing paternity. There is an additional component entitled “DOCTOR DAD” which increases the father’s parenting skills in the area of infant and toddler health and helps fathers realize that they play a unique role in caring for their children.

Community Connections

The Crispus Attucks Center for Employment & Training in partnership with Harley Davidson and other members of its Business Advisory Board has launched a new employment and training initiative entitled, The Crispus Attucks Community Connections Program. This initiative is designed to connect inner-city, underserved and underrepresented populations with higher skilled employment opportunities in York and surrounding counties. This workforce development training is seeking highly motivated, unemployed or underemployed, semi to highly skilled individuals who desire to improve their employability in such areas as: manufacturing, healthcare, retail, banking, hospitality, construction and general trades. The training will be offered in a classroom setting, one night per week over an eight-week period for two hours per night. Pre-testing and assessment will be done and participants may not miss any of the sessions.

Employment PLUSS

The People Learning and Understanding Self-Sufficiency program trains low-income, economically and socially challenged individuals in a specific skills category related to employer needs in York County. This program is offered to those who are interested in volunteering to participate in an internship to learn a specific skill. We also offer H.I.T. (High School Internship Program) which exposes high school students to skills in clerical, food service, nursing, childcare, mortuary, and working with seniors, as well as prepare them for the workplace or continued education at an above average skill. This program is offered to students attending the Crispus Attucks Youthbuild Charter School. As with our other employment & training programs, we offer supportive services and assistance, when needed.

Healthcare PLUSS is a collaborative effort between the Crispus Attucks Center for Employment & Training and the Heartland Hospice Care Organization. Participants 17 years and older are put through a 40 hour training provided by Heartland Hospice Care. They are trained in being a support system for terminally ill patients and their families. Participants that successfully complete the 40-hour training are then placed in nursing homes or in patient homes to work with clients. Hopefully, some of these individuals will become LPN’s and RN’s in our local hospitals and nursing facilities.

The Crispus Attucks Center for Employment & Training Advisory Committee is made up of representatives from York County business and organizations that provide us with guidance and technical assistance. They include:

• Cintas Corporation
• Dentsply Professional
• FedEx Ground
• Fulton Bank (Drovers Division)
• The Glatfelter Co
• Harley Davidson
• Honeywell International
• Kinsley Construction
• Memorial Hospital
• Preformance Personnel
• Standard Register Co
• Starbucks Coffee
• Sovereign Bank
• Wachovia Corporation
• WellSpan Health
• The Wolf Organization
• York Water Company

Partners In Education Consortium Members

The Crispus Attucks Partners in Education Consortium (P.I.E) provides focused and goal oriented education and training opportunities to area residents.

• Community Progress Council
• Consolidated School of Business
• Crispus Attucks Association
• H.A.C.C – York Campus
• Kinsley Education Center
• Lincoln Intermediate Unit #12
• Martin Memorial Library
• Penn State Cooperative Extension
• Penn State – York
• South George St. Community Partnership
• York City School District
• York College of PA
• York County High School
• York County School of Technology
• Yorktowne Business Institute

Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of a just world lives on today – in the lives of our own local heroes. That’s why you’re invited to nominate someone who is inspiring a new generation in any one of three community categories:

• LEADERSHIP
• SERVICE
• SOCIAL JUSTICE

The deadline for nominations for 2010 has closed.  Please check back later for nomination forms for 2011!

For more about Martin Luther King’s Day of Service in 2010, visit http://mlkday.gov

The third Sunday of every March, the Crispus Attucks Association holds its annual meeting to highlight the previous year’s accomplishments. All members of the Crispus Attucks Association can vote for new Board of Directors members prior to the meeting; ballots are counted and the results are announced. Recognition is given and awards are presented to: community members who support the Crispus Attucks Association in special ways, employees for years of service, and retiring Board Members. This meeting is open to the community, so please join us!

Red Cross Blood Drive

Every April and October the Red Cross collects blood donations in Crispus Attucks Lounge. This project is sponsored by the Crispus Attucks YouthBuild Charter School students. To make an appointment or for more information, contact Jamiel Alexander at 717-848-3610 ext. 272.

Teen Pregnancy Awareness Day

The mission of the Teen Pregnancy Awareness Day is to provide an interactive and appealing forum for adolescents to learn preventive measures, behavioral changes, and the effects that teenage pregnancy has on them as an individual and on society. Teen Pregnancy Awareness Day is hosted by the Crispus Attucks ELECT (Education Leading to Employment & Career Training) Program; please call the CA Center for Employment & Training at 717-848-8857 for more information.

United Way Day of Caring

The Day of Caring is a volunteer event hosted by the United Way of York County that helps United Way Agencies and volunteers connect. Please contact The United Way of York County at 717-843-0957 for more information.

Cultural Thanksgiving Celebration

Each year in November, the Crispus Attucks Rising STARS program hosts a Cultural Thanksgiving Celebration to recognize unsung local heroes and promote cultural and racial diversity. This year, eight community leaders and one organization were be honored: Clovis Gallon, Jerry Hall, Gary Lauer, Sharon Moore, PAC ( Parent Advocates for Children), Donna Watkins, Chris Woodard, Andy Zayas and Lourdes Zayas. The celebration also featured “the History of Step,” a retrospective of several Step generations with performances by multiple teams of SouthSide Steppers, the Commodores and Pasos Caribenos. A free dinner rounded out the evening.

Vista Volunteer Matt Bechtel presents findings from 2009 Neighborhood Survey, an effort of the Community Development program sponsored by the Wachovia Regional Foundation.

The Crispus Attucks Community Development program is committed to the revitalization of southeast York City as a place to live, work and play. Through collaborative site design, property acquisition, fundraising and site restoration, the program has developed a southern gateway to the city center across Boundary Avenue. The latest projects have also included sustainability features like geothermal heating and cooling in the new Early Learning Center and LEED green building certification of the Greenway Tech Centre.

Long term neighborhood stability does not rest solely on home ownership. Neighborhoods are more than simply a collection of houses – they are places where people live. At their best, neighborhoods meet most of the daily needs of their residents.