Privacy Policy Click Here to See our Privacy Policy We Need Your Support Today! Donate

Thank you for your contribution to LEAP! Thank you for your support! LEAP thanks you for supporting our free, year-round programming for New Haven youth! Your contribution enables youth to build their leadership skills by mentoring children from New Haven's historically underserved neighborhoods. You make it possible for LEAP to continue to be a safe space for young people to be the best they can be. www.leapforkids.org | 203-773-0770 | 31 Jefferson Street, New Haven, CT 06511

LEAP hires and trains college students to serve as Senior Counselors, responsible for mentoring and turtoring children and teens. Learn more and find an application here. Senior Counselors LEAP Senior Counselors (SCs), partnered with their Junior Counselors, lead groups of children and teenagers as teachers, mentors, and positive role models to help our youth develop both academically and socially. SCs are college students who are paid members of the LEAP staff, and each works under the supervision of a Site Coordinator who guides and mentors them. LEAP employs approximately 100 SCs each year, full-time during the summer and part-time during the school year. Apply for our Program Here! Senior Counselor General Application About the Position LEAP Senior Counselors must be college or graduate students in good academic standing at a 2- or 4-year college or university. We also accept applicants who are currently attending a trade school or who are in military training and have an open schedule to work during our program hours. LEAP counselors are at the center of the LEAP experience for our young people and they must demonstrate the highest level of commitment. They receive extensive training to prepare them for the tremendous responsibilities of teaching, inspiring, and caring for children as well as mentoring the Junior Counselors with whom they partner. Their preparation includes training in literacy education, CPR, conflict resolution, classroom management, trauma-informed education, and even how to take their kids camping. SCs also have the opportunity to take workshops to help them develop for any future career on topics such as resume writing, public speaking, and financial literacy. Through our unique model, SCs receive genuine leadership opportunities with support from their supervisors. During the summer program, LEAP provides SCs with free housing in the neighborhood in which they work. We do this so that counselors are accessible to children, can learn about the neighborhoods’ strengths and weaknesses, and children can have their college student role models as neighbors. *Application does not automatically save; if you refresh or leave the page, any entered information will be lost.* Still in high school? Apply to be a Junior Counselor! Apply Here!

LEAP provides academic and social development programming to young children and teens using a unique model where college and high school students are trained and employed to be mentors and tutors to younger New Haveners. About Us Leadership, Education and Athletics in Partnership, Inc. (LEAP) was founded in 1992 by educators, students, and community activists to address the historic disinvestment in young people of color in our city. Then and now LEAP believes that young people have the intellect, enthusiasm, courage, and leadership potential to make real change. LEAP creates the space and marshals the resources so that young leaders can mentor, educate and care for the children of New Haven. College and high school student counselors provide LEAP’s direct services to younger children. They help with homework, provide emotional support, lead classroom literacy instruction, and teach swim lessons, cooking classes and computer science. Their work is not easy as the systemic challenges faced by LEAP families are significant: The neighborhoods served by LEAP have child poverty rates ranging from 35% to 58%, more than three times the Connecticut average of 15%. This is why LEAP prides itself on employing over 200 young people and supporting their efforts to graduate high school and get into and graduate from college. We count among our alumni school teachers and principals, nonprofit executives, elected officials, business leaders, and community organizers. In our community center and seven neighborhood-based sites, we provide children with a welcoming place to learn, explore and grow, while offering teens and young adults a platform to find their voice and become leaders and role models. Since our founding, LEAP has grown to become a trusted community institution serving and empowering over 1,600 local young people annually. Our mission is to develop the strengths and talents of young leaders who create and implement year-round, neighborhood-based programs designed to achieve positive outcomes for children living in neighborhoods that have historically experienced systemic disinvestment . LEAP is home for youth as young as 7 and as old as 24. We love to see young LEAPers join our free children's program and grow up with the above timeline. In doing so, they become the leaders and role models they once looked up to while also receiving stipends and salaries. Any young adult, however, is eligible to take on a leadership role regardless of their previous involvement with LEAP. Community and School Centric LEAP believes in equipping young people with the tools to lead change both in and beyond their neighborhoods. We serve children who live in six low-income and historically African American and Latino neighborhoods in New Haven: Dixwell, Dwight-Kensington, Fair Haven, the Hill, Newhallville, and Quinnipiac Meadows. LEAP runs our free afterschool and summer programming at New Haven Public Schools located in these communities, as well as at our community center in Wooster Square. In our programs, LEAP seeks to make the entire city available to young people, from library cards and free bus passes to long-term partnerships with the city’s cultural institutions and recreational organizations. Young people at LEAP learn in neighborhood community gardens, hear from guest speakers born and raised in New Haven, read on the New Haven Green, and apply critical thinking and creativity to reimagine a future for their communities. Through the relationships they build with their counselors and mindful exploration of our city, LEAPers are empowered as the next generation of changemakers. Multi-Tier Mentorship Model LEAP values the opportunity for young people to grow within our organization, progressively taking on increased responsibility and leadership. Youth are organized into four age groups: Children (ages 7-12), Leaders in Training (ages 13-15), Junior Counselors (high school students), and Senior Counselors (college students). LEAP programming is tailored toward each child’s stage in development. For example, Leaders-in-Training start to take on new responsibilities by interning under counselors. Junior Counselors participate in extensive college prep and career advising to prepare them for high school graduation. Our success is reflected in our high retention rate. Fully one third of our counselors participated in LEAP themselves as children. Year-Round Programming LEAP runs year-round and is split into three components: fall after-school, spring after-school, and summer camp. Our after-school program is three hours a day, Monday-Thursday. Our summer camp is eight hours a day, Monday-Friday. Some stay for several years, moving up through our age groups. LEAP kids love spending time at LEAP's Roslyn Milstein Meyer Community Center, home to our library, swimming pool, teaching kitchen, gym, dance studio, and community garden. City's Largest Youth Employer LEAP counselors are trained and paid to do the important and often hard work of mentoring, supervising, and guiding children. LEAP is the largest employer of youth in New Haven: we train and hire over 200 young adults each year . A job at LEAP includes professional development for the future with sessions on resume writing, financial literacy, applying to college, SAT preparation and much more. Employing youth after school and over the summer is proven by research to be highly effective in creating bridges to academic success while making neighborhoods safer for children and teens. We Need Your Support Today! Donate

Terms of Use LEADERSHIP, EDUCATION AND ATHLETICS IN PARTNERSHIP INC 1. When you opt-in to receive messages from LEAP, you will receive messages related to the LEAP after-school and summer camp programs, as well as messages related to activities at the Dixwell Q House, fundraising events and all other related events and news related to the organization. 2. You can cancel the SMS service at any time. Just text "STOP" to the short code. After you send the SMS message "STOP" to us, we will send you an SMS message to confirm that you have unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive SMS messages from us. If you want to join again, just sign up as you did the first time, and we will start sending SMS messages to you again. 3. If you are experiencing issues with the messaging program you can reply with the keyword HELP for more assistance, or you can get help directly at application@leapforkids.org 4. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages 5. As always, message and data rates may apply for any messages sent to you from us and to us from you. Message frequency varies. If you have any questions about your text plan or data plan, it is best to contact your wireless provider. 6. If you have any questions regarding privacy, please read our privacy policy . We Need Your Support Today! Donate

LEAP trains and employs college and high school students to provide academic and social enrichment and mentoring after school and during the summer for children and teens in New Haven neighborhoods. Kids access swimming, gardening, camping, computer science, dance, music, and so much more. L eadership E ducation & A thletics in P artnership CREATING A NEW HAVEN FOR OUR CHILDREN We teach children how to learn and young adults how to lead. LEAP was founded in 1992 by educators, students, and community activists to address the historic disinvestment in young people of color in our city. In our two community centers and seven neighborhood-based sites, we provide children with a welcoming place to learn, explore and grow, while offering teens and young adults a platform to find their voice and become leaders and role models. College and high school student counselors teach younger students in literacy, the arts, and athletics. Check Out Our Programs! After-School Program LEARN MORE Summer Program LEARN MORE Leaders in Training LEARN MORE Swimming Program LEARN MORE LEAP Bulletin Board Sign up for FREE Classes at the Q House! Enhance your creativity, physical health, and skill development at the Q House! They offer a range of FREE classes and workshops, from ceramics and art to music production and yoga; there's something for everyone! Unleash your artistic side, harmonize your tunes, or find your zen – all without any cost. Explore, learn, and thrive at the Dixwell Q House’s inclusive and enriching environment. Click here to sign up today! Featured Videos All About LEAP Support our programs! We are thankful for all of the support that help us keep LEAP running and serve New Haven's youth. SUPPORT

LEAP is committed to having significant impact on all of the young people we serve. Learn how here. LEAP's Impact LEAP provides academic support, social enrichment, and leadership development to more than 1,000 youth each year. Using our unique mentoring model, LEAP empowers high school and college students, giving them the training, education, and resources they need to work as counselors for younger children. With their counselors’ support, these children engage in literacy activities and learn to swim, code, camp, dance, garden and much more — all free of charge. Leap by the Numbers 1,202 Children in LEAP's Afterschool and Summer Programs 6 Neighborhood Based Sites 150 Young Teens as LEAP Leaders in Training 19 Books Read on Average per LEAPer during the Summer 211 Young People Employed and Trained at LEAP Annual Reports See our annual reports for information about LEAP's yearly statistics and a performance overview! Testimonials See our testimonials for student and counselor feedback on their experience in LEAP! How Can I Make an Impact? By Mail Make checks out to "LEAP" and send to: 31 Jefferson Street New Haven, CT 06511 Online Make a tax deductible donation‏. Click to Give Over the Phone It's easy to donate offline too. Tel: 203-773-0770

LEAP's board of directors combines unique and diverse skills with a commitment to Creating A New Haven for our Children. Board of Directors Rick Antle, Ph.D. Board member Anne Tyler Calabresi Co-Founder Adriana Arreola Joseph Vice Chair Susan Biel Kerley Treasurer Cynthia Mann, M.D. Secretary Marcus A. McFerren, M.D., Ph.D. Board member Roslyn Milstein Meyer, Ph.D. Co-Founder Ann Baker Pepe Immediate Past Chair Tai Richardson Board Chair Kenneth Russell Board member Alexis Smith Board member Deborah Stanley-McAulay Board member Clifton Watson, Ph.D. Board member Stephen Wizner Board member Honorable William Dyson Emeritus Jerome Harris Meyer Emeritus

Learn about and complete an application for LEAP's summer program for children ages 7 to 12. Summer Children's Program Please note that this page reflects information from our 2025 Summer Program. Check back for updates on our 2026 Summer Program! LEAP's summer program includes literacy, athletics, arts, computer science, cooking, and gardening. Children also go on field trips around New Haven and camping trips. All programs are overseen by an experienced Site Coordinator with trained counselor pairs drawn from local colleges and high schools. LEAP's summer program is free for participants. what who LEAP's summer children's program is available for children ages 7 to 12 who live in one of our five neighborhoods (what matters is where the child lives, not where he or she goes to school): Dixwell Newhallville Fair Haven The Hill Dwight-Kensington (including West River) Quinnipiac Meadows The program operates Monday-Thursday from 8 AM-4 PM, Friday from 8 AM-1 PM. LEAP operates in seven neighborhoods at these locations: Bishop Woods School Augusta Lewis Troup School Clemente Leadership Academy Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration Clinton Avenue School King-Robinson Inter-District Magnet School Celentano Magnet School & Q House when & where Summer Program 2025 Mandatory parent meeting dates will occur in June for accepted families only. The time and location will be disclosed to accepted parents. Required summer documents for full acceptance into LEAP's Program: 1. Completed Child Application (you can now add more than one child to one application) 2. Copy of child's physical (not older than 36 months) 3. Copy of child's insurance card or copy of insurance letter confirming child is covered by insurance. Dates of Summer Programming: June 23rd - August 1st, 2025 Mondays - Thursdays: 8 AM- 4 PM; Fridays; 8 AM - 1 PM Submitting an application through the portal does not mean that your child has been accepted into the program. Pre-acceptance into the program will be confirmed via phone call by one of our Site Coordinators within seventy-two hours of portal submission. Please note that you will not be enrolled in the program until you submit a fully signed physical examination document. If your child has asthma and needs an inhaler or allergies that require the use of an EpiPen, you will need to request for your doctor to fill up and sign an action plan. *Application does not automatically save. When you complete the form, you must press SUBMIT FORM at the end. If you refresh or leave this page, any entered information will be lost.* Ver en español/Read in Spanish

Independent Reading-Resources 7 Independent reading activities to increase literacy Scholastic-teaching content Reading Rockets- 103 things to do during or after reading Epic- Log in DEAR Time/Literacy Ideas Ways to access books Google LEAP Website (virtual books) NHFPL www.freechildrenstories.com Audiobooks Youtube National Geographic Website Counselor record themselves reading books for kids EPIC New Haven Reads you can tape yourself on screencastify so students can have bedtime stories or whenever they choose to hear stories Fun ways to ensure they are reading Read the same book (Reciprocal teaching strategies) Questioning (favorite part, characters) Draw out their favorite part of the story and share Popcorn Reading Vocab Word Games Vocab Activities based on text Book Talk- Share their book (Persuade other kids to read the book) Make a flipgrid about your book Write about book - Make real world connections Literature Circles Bookclubs Write an alternative ending to the book Comparing and contrasting books and movies Counselors read too!!! Breakout rooms

Staff Only Leap 2020