About Us

Since 1992, LEAP has led the movement to provide children and youth with opportunities to thrive in all areas of their lives.

Our innovative group model pairs one college student (Senior Counselor) with one high school student (Junior Counselor) of the same gender, to work with a group of eight to ten boys or girls of the same age-range and neighborhood.  In their LEAP group, at their LEAP site, and as a part of the larger LEAP family, young people engage in formative learning experiences that help define who they are and mold who they become.

Whether in the Children’s Program, the Youth Development Program, or the Community Center, all people at LEAP are members of a community that supports their personal, educational and professional development and cultivates their value for self, education, and community.

OUR CHILDREN | Our 7-12 year olds learn and grow in a positive, safe and educational environment .

The Children’s Program, currently operating year-round in five high-poverty New Haven neighborhoods, provides 250 - 300 children ages 7 - 12 with summer and after school programming to develop academically and socially.

LEAP children engage in structured activities to strengthen math, reading, and writing skills while building social skills within a team of their peers.  Counselors use arts, athletics and community service to increase their children’s learning capacity and broaden the way that each young person thinks about themselves and others.

Every day at LEAP, counselors walk their children home to their doorsteps and maintain weekly contact with their children’s parents.  During the summer, Senior Counselors move into apartments in their children’s neighborhoods and become part of the fabric of their children’s community.  Connecting with parents and hosting community events and neighborhood activities helps counselors create strong and lasting bonds with children, their families, and their neighbors. 

OUR YOUTH | High school and college students are mentors, teachers and role models for LEAP children.

LEAP recruits, hires, trains and supports college and high school students to work as counselors in our Children’s Program, and to develop as leaders in our Youth Development (YD) Program.

The YD Program currently provides 40 high school and college students with experiential learning and employment, and with personal, educational and professional training and support.

LEAP counselors are chosen for their leadership qualities and potential to model respect, open-mindedness, responsibility, accountability and high expectations for their children, their peers, and the broader community.

In weekly YD sessions, counselors cultivate civic engagement, prepare for college and career, and receive support in their overall development.  The YD Program also provides extensive counselor training to prepare youth to work effectively with their children. 

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