StreetSquash: Harlem
StreetSquash
Harlem
Founded 1999
Executive Director: George Polsky
Board Chair: Mitch Truwit
Fourteen full-time staff, seven part-time staff
160 students served (school year, after-school)
450-600 students served (squash in public schools program)
200 students served (summer)
Schools: Thurgood Marshall Academy, Wadleigh Secondary High School, Frederick Douglass Academy II, Academy for Social Action, Harlem Success Academy, PS 149 Sojourner Truth School
School Year Program: Academic Tutoring, Community Service, Mentoring, College Prep and Literacy, Squash Instruction and Competition, Squash in Public Schools Program
Summer Programs: Summer Discovery Program, Summer Scholarships Program (Overnight Squash Camps, Summer Search, Camp Dudley, Windsor Mountain, Outward Bound Pinnacle Program), Summer Youth Employment Program
Facility Partner: S.L. Green StreetSquash Youth Center
2008-2009 Operating Budget: $1,180,000
School Attendance Rate: 90%
Grade-to-Grade Matriculation Rate: 100%
Program Attendance: 88%
College Attendance Rate: 90%
One data-driven success: For the nine years that StreetSquash has been serving Harlem’s kids, the program has a 90% retention rate, meaning that year after year, nine of every ten kids remain in the program.
“I am most proud of the sense of family that has been created at StreetSquash. We ask for a very big commitment from the children, but as you can see from their attendance figures, these children show up year after year. This is because they are surrounded by people who care for them, and most importantly, these adults stick around as well, helping to create a consistent, supportive and caring environment that helps these children reach their potential.”
- George Polsky, Executive Director
