P Diddy opens Co-op City school
Charter school sits on campus of the rapper’s former college
BY ALEX MITCHELL
The iconic rapper Sean
Combs,’ best known as P
Diddy announced the opening
of a new Capital Preparatory
Charter school on the
former campus of the College
of New Rochelle at 755 Co-op
City Blvd.
Expected to educate up to
200 students between sixth
and seventh grade and later
growing to 650 students
through 11th grade, the new
Capital Prep location will
be opening under a remote
model on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
In 2018, Combs pledged $1
million to open the school,
saying at the time “I came
from the same environment
these kids live in every day.”
“My dream has always
been to provide children
in communities like the
Bronx the high quality education
they deserve,” said
Combs through a release on
Wednesday. “We’re not just
teaching reading, math and
coding. We are grooming future
leaders that will change
their communities and the
world,” the famed New York
rapper added.
He worked alongside Dr.
Steve Perry to open the new
location, who said he could
not be more excited about
the announcement.
Calling Co-op City “a
community rooted in social
justice and diversity,” Perry
also addressed having to
kickoff the 2020 academic
year remotely.
BRONX TIMES R 10 EPORTER, SEPT. 11-17, 2020 BTR
“While opening up remote
at fi rst is bittersweet, we have
developed a best-in-class approach
to online learning we
are excited to implement with
our new families. The Capital
Prep college prep model is
perfectly poised to transition
into the digital space and we
are excited to deliver a rigorous
education to this inaugural
class of scholars,” he said.
On that subject, Isaiah
Brown, the founding principal
of Capital Prep Bronx and
a native to the borough said
“we will run our distance
learning as a replica of our
in-school experience.”
“Scholars will have live
instruction from 8 a.m. to
3:15 p.m. across core subjects
plus advisory, four days a
week. On Fridays, they will
participate in a virtual allschool
assembly and access
offi ce hours for additional
support,” Brown said, adding
that community partnerships
will be providing
after school programs
for students.
The principal also stressed
the principle of social justice,
calling it the the “bedrock”
of the school’s model.
“I understand the importance
of access to a great education,
and the critical role it
plays in a child’s future. Our
school provides historically
disadvantaged students with
the college and career skills
needed to become responsible
and engaged citizens
for social justice,” Combs
boasted in 2018.
He attended Mount St.
Michael High School some
years ago.
Schneps Media/Alex Mitchel
Grandparents play an important
role in every family. For some, they
are the keepers of family traditions,
while for others they are caregivers
for their grandchildren. No matter
the role, there’s no question that
for all families, grandparents are a
source of love.
National Grandparents Day
is celebrated every year on the
first Sunday after Labor Day
to pay tribute for all the great
things grandparents do for their
families. The month of September
also celebrates another important
member of the family – kinship
caregivers. Kinship Caregiver
Month recognizes the unique
and often demanding role of
kinship caregivers, who are aunts,
uncles, cousins, adult siblings or
grandparents who care for children
in their family.
The NYC Department for the
Aging’s (DFTA) Grandparent
Resource Center recognizes the
important role and challenges
that grandparents who are also
kinship caregivers face. The
Grandparent Resource Center
supports these older New Yorkers
through community-based services
including referrals, information,
community support groups, and
more. The program also works
within 15 New York City Housing
Authority (NYCHA) developments
with neighborhood residents to help
reduce crime through programming
for older adults and grandparent
caregivers, making it beneficial for
everyone.
Like many DFTA programs
dur ing COV I D - 1 9 , t he
Grandparent Resource Center
has transitioned from in-person
services to virtual or phone-based
services, including case assistance,
support groups and trainings,
intergenerational programming,
advocacy, and more. To connect
older kinship caregivers with these
virtual programs, it launched a tech
readiness program and distributed
374 free computer tablets equipped
with internet access. With the help
of DFTA partner Older Adults
Technology Services (OATS),
kinship caregivers can get technical
help and support to access these
online programs.
This month, the Grandparent
Resource Center is offering an
Empowerment Training series
on Zoom to help grandparent
caregivers strengthen their
parenting and communications
skills with their grandchildren and
learn how to stay connected to their
community and support network
during COVID-19. Anyone who
is a grandparent or older relative
taking care of children can sign up
for the course by calling the GRC at
(212) 442-1094 or emailing them at
GRC@aging.nyc.gov. To learn more
about activities and services that
support grandparents and kinship
caregivers, visit the Grandparent
Resource Center online.
In addition to the Grandparent
Resource Center, DFTA also has
the Foster Grandparent Program,
which supports intergenerational
programming between older and
younger New Yorkers. For 45 years,
the Foster Grandparent Program
has partnered with communitybased
organizations, including
elementary schools, hospitals, and
head-start programs, to connect
low-income older adults with part-
time volunteer positions.
At Queens Centers for Progress’
APPLE Preschool, 87-year-old
Delores Ford has been volunteering
as a foster grandparent for almost
23 years. “My favorite thing about
volunteering is to get outside of the
house and do something different,
and see different people and younger
people. As a foster grandmother, I
love being with the children,” said
Ms. Ford. For their service, program
participants are paid a small stipend
for their time.
During National Grandparents
Day, Kinship Caregiver Month and
throughout the year, DFTA is proud
to support all grandparents who
fulfill what many call, “the best job
ever.” For more information about
all services that support older New
Yorkers, call DFTA’s contact center
Aging Connect at 212-244-6469.
Celebrating Grandparents and Kinship
Caregivers in September
NYC Department for the
Aging Commissioner
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
The Department for the Aging’s Grandparent Resource Center
provides support to grandparents taking care of teens and children.
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