POUGHKEEPSIE – The Dutchess County Division of Youth Services has awarded $307,881 to local municipalities and nonprofit community-based organizations to fund 21 programs that enhance the lives and safety of young people throughout the County through the Youth Development Program (YDP) and Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA). The Division of Youth Services is under the jurisdiction of the Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Services (DCFS).
YDP funding targets services that promote safety, supportive relationships, and other positive assets by engaging and empowering youth. RHYA funding targets youth who need temporary shelter or assistance with independent living skills. The County’s Division of Youth Services administers YDP and RHYA funds for the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.
Karmen Smallwood, Assistant Commissioner for Youth Services, said, “Creating a community where young people can thrive is a top priority, and Dutchess County proudly partners with local organizations who can enhance children’s lives and help them flourish. We look forward to continued collaborations that improve young people’s development and help ensure they become successful adults.”
The Division of Youth Services is currently seeking proposals for YDP and RHYA services for the program year from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. Grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 will be awarded to programs that provide free, direct services designed to improve youth and community outcomes. Programs must address one of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services’ six life areas, which are Economic Security, Physical and Emotional Health, Education, Citizenship/Civic Engagement, and Family and Community.
The 2022 Youth Development Programming distributed $208,075 to the following programs:
- The Art Effect (City of Poughkeepsie) $19,000
Spark Studios – Offers 60 youth, ages 14-19, valuable skills in film editing, sound, lighting, video production, and more. Youth mentorship fosters leadership, teamwork, and communication in a supportive environment, and daily well-being check-ins support participants’ well-being - Beekman Library (Beekman), $5,000
Youth Empowerment through Service (Y.E.S.) – Thirty-five (35) high school-age teens will contribute to their community and gain leadership skills by acting as library volunteers. Teens may apply to serve as volunteer shelvers or academic mentors to younger children. Volunteer shelvers will learn library classification systems; academic mentors will serve as “Reading Buddies” or “Homework Helpers” to children in kindergarten through 6th grade. - Chamber Foundation, Inc., $12,000
The Next Gen Academy– Next Gen Academy is a three-week, STEAM-focused career readiness program for 20 youth, ages 16-21. This program focuses on providing the knowledge necessary for youth to build a successful college and career pathway. Program activities will include introductory skills to coding, computer-aided design, design thinking and 3D printing. In addition to program activities, daily morning leadership hour will engage youth with local technology leaders while learning about the ways in which they are using technology to solve problems within their community. - Child Abuse Prevention Center, $15,587
Personal Safety Program– A preventative sexual abuse education program that provides free countywide, classroom-based safety workshops for pre-K to 6th grade, providing students, faculty and staff tools and resources for identifying and reporting sexual abuse. - City of Beacon (Beacon), $5,000
The Beacon Pool Swim Academy– The City’s pool will host the popular Beacon Pool Swim Academy, which runs for eight weeks as four two-week sessions; each session can serve 24 children. The program is split into age groups – 6 months to 3 years, ages 3-5, ages 6-12 – for a total goal of 96 youth served over the eight weeks. - Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County (Beacon), $22,000
Green Teen Workforce Development Community Gardening– Prepares 15 youth, ages 10-20, for college and careers through employment set in the context of community gardening, teaching skills and behaviors employers seek. Education in areas such as communication, financial literacy, resume writing, nutrition and social justice is provided. - Dutchess Community College Foundation, $19,800
DCC Cares – Provides postsecondary education dropout prevention and increases the retention and graduation rates of students ages 17-21 who are at risk, including economically disadvantaged, first generation and underrepresented minority. A Student Resource Navigator provides 100 students with direct assessment, case management, workshops and follow-up services from community service providers to help them enroll, complete their studies and graduate. - Family Services (City of Poughkeepsie), $7,500
Teen Resource Activity Center (TRAC) and SNUG Alignment – TRAC and SNUG Alignment offers free, supervised afterschool programming weekdays from 4-9 p.m. at the Family Partnership Center, serving 75 youth, ages 11-18. Participants play sports; engage in performing arts through theater, music and podcasting; receive academic support; participate in pro-social/emotional workshops; eat a nutritious dinner and relax with friends while gaining exposure to positive adult role models. Youth also participate in Summer Youth Employment program, receiving training and job placements in the neighborhood. - Hudson River Housing, $12,000
HRH Youth Enrichment Program – Provides year-round activities and workshops for 50 current and former residents, promoting physical and emotional wellness; improving ability to form healthy relationships; building character/confidence; creating a deeper appreciation of their local community through visits to parks, museums, galleries, colleges, libraries; and participating in art/music activities. - Northeast Community Center, Inc. (Webutuck), $14,123
Community Partnership with Schools and Businesses (Teen Jobs) – Workforce development program in Millerton for 24 young people, ages 14-20, who can gain a paid internship at 20 local businesses and organizations, where they are trained and mentored by adult employees. Interns also benefit from workshops on general job skills, résumé writing, job interviewing and college planning and financial aid. - Pawling Free Library (Pawling), $5,000
Teaching Mental Health Skills to Children– Serves children from birth through age 14 who live in or near Pawling with a projected enrollment of 88, focusing on improving children’s mental health skills and increasing families’ access to information about youth mental health. Program offers developmentally appropriate options, utilizing books, activities and events to help children learn about emotions, emotional regulation and pro-social behavior; materials available in English and Spanish. Primary focus is developing activity kits for families to take home and use on their own schedule. - Poughkeepsie Farm Project (Poughkeepsie), $15,765
Green Jobs for Youth – Prepare young people, ages 16-20, for careers in farming, gardening and food education; increase local economic and food security; and support youth in job searches and placement by connecting them with potential employers. Green Jobs for Youth serves 24 youth who will learn to grow, harvest, prepare and distribute food within their community. - R.E.A.L. Skills Network (City of Poughkeepsie), $7,500
Peer Mentors– Offers 30 low-income teens in the City of Poughkeepsie an afterschool program to learn life skills through positive interactions with adult mentors; these youth will subsequently mentor younger children. The program works with community partners to offer six activity blocks during the school year: anti-violence, mediation skills, babysitting, CPR, health topics and job and academic skills. - Ramapo for Children (Rhinebeck), $6,000
SEL-Based Experiential Programming for Youth– Offers 30 Dutchess County 7th– through 11th-graders, eight to 12 weekly sessions utilizing experiential activities and restorative practices to strengthen their social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. Each session will include a small group check-in, a sequence of experiential activities (cooperative games, group problem-solving initiatives, high and low ropes course experiences and a reflective debrief) and a positive closing activity. - Red Hook Community Center, Inc. (Red Hook), $10,500
RHCC Teen Groups– Will serve 32 youth, ages 11-17, who reside in northern Dutchess County. Meetings are held at the Red Hook Community Center during after-school hours and provide a safe place for young people to use their time productively and engage in positive peer and staff interaction. Youth participate in organized community service, life-skills learning centered around cultural competency and race equity, and organized recreation. - Red Hook Public Library (Red Hook), $9,000
Teen Takeover – Red Hook Public Library is a teen-designed, teen-run program offering 44 local youth, ages 10-17, time and space to connect with peers through gaming, cooking and other activities, empowering youth and providing a place to socialize and work. - Town of East Fishkill (East Fishkill), $7,000
Too Good for Drugs– A 5th-grade, elementary school-based drug prevention program designed to reduce students’ intention to use alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs while promoting pro-social attitudes, skills, and behaviors. The program seeks to build the self-confidence of students, so they are better prepared to make healthy choices and achieve success. The program, which will reach 250+ students, aims to develop positive peer norms, appropriate attitudes toward alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use. - Town of Hyde Park (Hyde Park), $5,300
Learn to Swim Program – The Learn to Swim program will provide 60 youth (ages 3 months to 14) the opportunity to achieve life-long skills through the instruction by certified American Red Cross Swimming Lesson staff. The program will not only provide youth the opportunity to learn to swim, but also physical exercise in a fun, safe and positive environment. - Town of Red Hook (Red Hook), $5,000
Town of Red Hook Recreation– Town of Red Hook Recreation offers 20+ different recreational programs to over 500 youth (ages 0-21) who live within the boundaries of the Red Hook Central School District. - Wassaic Project (Amenia), $5,000
Junior Varsity and Varsity Arts Club– The Junior Varsity and Varsity Arts Clubs are concurrent afterschool programs for 24 middle and high school students in the Webutuck Central School District. The program takes place in a dedicated makerspace in Wassaic. Youth will be mentored by two Wassaic Project educators, and the aim is to work with students longer to foster creative growth and social-emotional development.
The 2022 Runaway and Homeless Youth Programming distributed $99,806 to the following programs:
- Hudson River Housing, $99,806
River Haven Shelter – River Haven is a NYS-certified RHYA Part I program that addresses the immediate needs of Dutchess County’s runaway, homeless and at-risk youth between the ages of 10-17. The co-ed shelter offers a homelike atmosphere for up to 12 young people at a time, with additional capacity for a teen parent with up to two children. The program provides crisis intervention services, care management and youth development programming, such as life skills and enrichment workshops, counseling, referral assistance with basic needs and a supervised emergency shelter accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Programs funded through YDP and RHYA are selected through a competitive Request for Proposals process. The Dutchess County Youth Board and Coordinating Council are responsible for reviewing, and scoring each grant proposal and making allocation recommendations to the County Executive.
Programs are expected to demonstrate knowledge of and have staff trained in Positive Youth Development. Agencies will also be expected to show how the program addresses one of Dutchess County’s “Path to Promise” domains/value areas. Programs must serve Dutchess County youth up to 21 years of age for the program year October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024. Eligible applicants should be either a county municipality or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, community-based organization with a federal identification number and charity registration number, operating in Dutchess County with the ability to meet the County’s insurance requirements.
The Division of Youth Services has scheduled two grant workshops for nonprofit agencies and municipalities at the Dutchess County Emergency Response Center, 392 Creek Road, Poughkeepsie; each workshop takes place from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.:
- Tuesday, March 7, 2023
- Thursday, March 9, 2023
All grant proposals are due to the Division of Youth Services on or before Thursday, March 30th by 5 p.m.
Interested organizations can contact Juliana Corbett at 845-486-3354 or Juliana.Corbett@dfa.state.ny.us to register for a workshop. Each session will review the step-by-step process of applying online through the Dutchess County Grant Portal and address any concerns or questions.
