Brooklyn early childhood development organization addresses educational disparities

By Hannah Kliger

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    NEW YORK (WCBS) — In a sensory gym at the Brooklyn Kindergarten Society’s Weeksville Gardens location, kids spend time developing their social skills with all the fun of a trip to the playground.

The organization, born in Brooklyn in 1891, serves working families with children 2-4 years old.

Dr. Ashley Williams, the nonprofit’s executive director, said the group is considered a leader in providing equal access to early education.

“We have a robust occupational therapy program that really seeks to optimize the overall healthy development of our children. So our programing really helps kids with their sensory processing, emotional regulation, social skills, and then also physical development as well,” Williams said.

How the occupational therapy program works

The occupational therapy program is relatively new. The goal is to further support children who may have developmental delays or need additional help, says Colleen O’Neill, an OT working out of multiple BKS locations.

“Best practice occupational therapy is, you do want to provide services in the natural environment. So it’s great that this is within a school. But we really as an OT, you want to support their occupation. So what’s a child’s occupation? To be a student and to learn. And also to play,” O’Neill said.

Six of the nonprofit’s seven sites are located in NYCHA developments, with the goal of providing this resource to underserved communities.

Christopher Martin Sheikh Bomba is the father of 4-year-old Adonis, who was born during the peak of the pandemic.

A military veteran raised in Brownsville, he said the COVID-19 pandemic revealed a lack of resources that he was also aware of growing up.

“Growing up into the nineties, early 2000s, I don’t feel that there were enough programs set out for the communities like this one, Brownsville, Bed-Stuy in those early years. So theres a lot of delay, in my opinion, in development,” he said.

Services at BKS are free of charge to qualifying parents, bringing a curriculum that weaves in activities like yoga, tennis, and violin.

With programs that would otherwise be unaffordable for many families, providers hope to address educational disparities that can impact achievement later in life.

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