All too often, young people become disenfranchised and drop out of school. Most dropouts face many more problems later in life than their graduating counterparts. They earn hundreds of thousands of dollars less over the course of a lifetime than high school graduates. Many turn to public welfare, and some even to crime.  And the children of dropouts are born into a lower economic and social bracket, increasing their own chances of becoming the next generation of dropouts.

Most children who drop out of school have demonstrated poor academic performance, low self esteem and feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. Many come from families that do not emphasize or even understand the value of education.

In highly successful efforts to mitigate both the cause and effect, JCCGCI has pioneered innovative programs that are designed to identify and intercept the most vulnerable children in early childhood and provide them with the inspiration and opportunities to remain in school and succeed in their studies.

Since 1991, JCCGCIs Attendance Improvement/ Dropout Prevention Program has been helping educationally at-risk youngsters attending grades one though five at PS 90 to remain in school. It has accomplished this through: 

• Case management services that enhance each students goal setting and self-esteem 
• An extended school day program that improves students learning experiences and performance through tutoring/homework assistance, personal development courses, a program of art appreciation through dance and skill development, and individual counseling for each student 
• Outreach home visits that actively engage parents to improve their childrens school attendance 
• Workshops and a multi-lingual parents center that increase parents participation in their childrens academic life 

The Attendance Improvement/Dropout Prevention Program is staffed by New York City Department of Education certified teachers who are generally from PS 90 as well, thus assuring that they are intimately familiar with the school environment their after-school students learn in daily. Meeting three times a week in small groups, the teachers offer additional math and reading assistance, instruction in study skills and test sophistication, and guidance in how to organize and cope with homework activities. Two specialized instructors oversee classes wherein the students learn formal and informal dance steps, research the different dances and their cultures, and master basic choreography. 

Placing particular emphasis on each childs emotional well being, the Attendance Improvement / Dropout Prevention Program assigns a Case Manager to provide students who have behavioral issues with a support system that will help them manage daily personal challenges routinely arising at school and home. The confidentiality of each students case is ensured wherever appropriate.  

In recognition of the familys crucial role in the proper development of their children, the program brings together the Case Manager, a Special Projects Coordinator, a Parent Bi-lingual Specialist, and an English Literacy Instructor to elicit a maximum level of family involvement. A series of workshops teach parents how to assist their children with schoolwork, understand educational performance standards, and learn how to relate to teachers. Moreover, parents are given the opportunity to discuss such concerns as completing their own education, obtaining employment and navigating the relationship with their children. A bi-lingual specialist and English literacy classes are made available to improve the parents abilities to productively interact with school personnel. 

Transportation is available for students in need of this service. 

The Attendance Improvement/Dropout Prevention Program has consistently achieved a high success rate with the students it serves. At the end of the previous school year, over 90% of the youngsters in the program nearly one hundred students were able to maintain a 90% attendance rate in school, and the majority showed significant improvement in their relationship with other students and staff. Furthermore, as a result of the close attention the students received in their various studies and their subsequent display of academic improvement, the children enrolled in this program exhibited a noticeable increase in self-esteem. In addition, forty parents were actively involved in their childrens schoolwork and activity.