Zalma Vivanco Curriculum and Training Coordinator zvivanco@leapforkids.org Zalma (she/her/hers) Hi everyone! I'm the Curriculum and Training Coordinator at LEAP, which means I'm in charge of creating lessons and activities for our 7-12 year olds and training our counselors on how to facilitate curriculum sessions. I recently graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in Psychology and joined LEAP shortly after, in the summer of 2020. While at Yale, I ran a three-year academic mentoring program at Wexler-Grant Community school, volunteered at New Haven Works, and worked as a research assistant in the Education Studies department. I'm from New York, and I enjoy running, cooking, art, and reading! I love LEAP because we see the inherent value in every child and do our best to make them feel loved and supported. The LEAP community is a special one and I feel lucky to be a part of it!

Maithé Ulloa Counselor Development Coordinator mulloa@leapforkids.org Maithé (she/her/hers) I joined LEAP in 2019 as a Senior Counselor. LEAP has allowed me to work with a diverse group of children and families who come from different paths of life. I love learning about the cultures and backgrounds of those who I work with. I received my bachelors degrees in Bilingual Elementary Education and Interdisciplinary Studies. I am currently working on my masters degree in School Counseling at Southern Connecticut State University. I am Ecuadorian and originally from East Hartford, CT, but currently reside in West Haven. During my free time, I enjoy listening to music, going on walks, and I also love to travel!

Julia's Run Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 10:00 AM Edgewood Park Click here to register! Julia's Run for Children celebrates the legacy of Julia Rusinek and embraces the ideals for which she lived. Julia was a student at Yale College, and she dedicated her summers and her free time to working with or on behalf of underprivileged children. Join us on Sunday, April 27, 2025, at 10:00 AM in New Haven's historic Edgewood Park for this beloved run! For the early bird registration, sign up by Sunday, 4/20! The proceeds of this event will support all of LEAP's future programming. Our LEAP kids are busy learning and building community together through the new phonics program, a revamped aquatics program, and college application readiness resources. Run with us to support their growth and achievements! The 5K timed run, 5K untimed walk, and $5 Kids Fun Run courses will stay within the beautiful and historic Edgewood Park. The untimed 5K walk is designed for all ages. The 5K distance is computer timed. Only 5K timed runners are eligible for awards. Check out photos from this year's run in the slideshow above! For more information and registration: Interested in being a sponsor? Click here to view our sponsor levels and contact Jubetsy Minaya-Pérez for more information! Click Here! Thank you to our Julia's Run 2024 Sponsors & Contributors! Partner Friend Neighbor In Kind Donations Contributors DJ Services Gift Card Prizes for Runners

Paris Jones Youth Development Coordinator pjones@leapforkids.org Paris (she/her/hers) I am the Youth Development Coordinator, which means I oversee the Leaders In Training Program, our young teen program, and work with youth ages 13-15. I joined LEAP in January 2019. I am an alumna from Johnson & Wales University, and I have a B.S. in Counseling Psychology. I love LEAP because LEAP is a place where children, teens, and young adults all find themselves and learn how to give back to the communities that they come from. Some hobbies I have are reading, painting, yoga, and of course, shopping.

Henry Fernandez Executive Director hfernandez@leapforkids.org Henry (he/him/his) Henry Fernandez is LEAP’s Executive Director. He co-founded LEAP in 1992 and served as Executive Director from its founding until 1997, returning to the position almost two decades later. Henry came to New Haven in 1990 to go to Yale Law School, following a short stint teaching high school English and math in Zimbabwe. He served for five years as Economic Development Administrator for the City of New Haven (a deputy mayor position in our form of government). He has been a senior fellow at a think tank in DC, testified as an expert before Congress, and served on President Obama’s transition team. Aside from his work at LEAP, he owns a firm that completes quantitative and qualitative research on issues including health policy, civil rights, elections, criminal justice, and civic engagement. He has been interviewed by media including MSNBC, the NY Times, USA Today, NBC News, the BBC, Black Enterprise, and the Washington Post. Henry grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York. He scuba dives and spends time with his family for fun. LEAP is important to him because he gets to see new generations of young people take on the fight to make our country and city more just.

LEAP staff members are committed to children, experienced in youth programming, and diverse. Meet our Staff Executive Leadership Henry Fernandez Executive Director hfernandez@leapforkids.org Children's & Youth Development Programs Team Yakeita Robinson Chief of Staff yrobinson@leapforkids.org Tina Sapiente Deputy Chief of Staff tsapiente@leapforkids.org Nikilia Reid Director of Programs nreid@leapforkids.org Stefanie Vargas Deputy Director of Programs svargas@leapforkids.org Chance Jackson Director of Children's Program cjackson@leapforkids.org Oscar Rodriguez Director of Aquatics orodriguez@leapforkids.org Jahvon Soto Fair Haven South Site Coordinator jsoto@leapforkids.org Daikichi Washington Fair Haven West Site Coordinator dwashington@leapforkids.org Darcus Henry Dixwell Site Coordinator dhenry@leapforkids.org Edwin Caro Quinnipiac Meadows Site Coordinator ecaro@leapforkids.org Emiya Pearse Newhallville Site Coordinator epearse@leapforkids.org Paris Jones Youth Development Coordinator pjones@leapforkids.org Alexis Christy Academic Success Coordinator achristy@leapforkids.org Chantalle Martin Clinical Coordinator cmartin@leapforkids.org Ramon Lockman Interim Hill South Site Coordinator Justin Short Interim Dwight-Kensington Site Coordinator Curriculum & Training Team Summer Choate-Lewis Director of Curriculum & Training schoate@leapforkids.org Jesse Delia Director of Community Initiatives jdelia@leapforkids.org Kayla Penza Curriculum & Training Coordinator kpenza@leapforkids.org Counselor Development Team Maithé Ulloa Counselor Development Manager mulloa@leapforkids.org Aysia Reese Counselor Development Coordinator areese@leapforkids.org Jadah Smith Counselor Development Coordinator jsmith@leapforkids.org Development & Communications Team Rachel Kline Brown Director of Development & Communications rklinebrown@leapforkids.org Jubetsy Minaya-Pérez Deputy Director of Development & Communications jminaya@leapforkids.org Ruofan Chen Database Analyst & Prospect Researcher rchen@leapforkids.org Eliana Arroyo Development Coordinator earroyo@leapforkids.org Melissa Liriano Communications Coordinator mliriano@leapforkids.org Michaela Seales Grant Writer mseales@leapforkids.org Finance Team Shadine Alveranga Managing Director of Finance salveranga@leapforkids.org Tamia Scott Finance Coordinator tscott@leapforkids.org Q House Team Yakeita Robinson Director of the Dixwell Community Q House yrobinson@leapforkids.org Angelina Campos Deputy Director of Dixwell Community Q House acampos@leapforkids.org Kaussar Rahman Executive Advisor and Assistant for the Dixwell Community Q House Advisory Board and LEAP Grants Manager krahman@leapforkids.org Office Operations Team Marvin Parker Maintenance Associate mparker@leapforkids.org Robin Williams Receptionist rwilliams@leapforkids.org

LEAP hires and trains high school students to serve as Junior Counselors, responsible for mentoring and turtoring younger children. Learn more and find an application here. Junior Counselors Our Junior Counselors (JCs) are high school students who are paid members of the LEAP staff, and each works under the supervision of a Senior Counselor who guides and mentors them. LEAP Junior Counselors must be New Haven high school students 16 years old or older. LEAP employs approximately 100 JCs each year, full-time during the summer and part-time during the school year. Our JCs also receive resources such as professional development, financial literacy workshops, and academic coaching. Our goal is to prepare our young adults for successful futures, and part of this is ensuring that they can pursue higher education. Apply for our Spring 2025 Program Here! Junior Counselor General Application About the Position LEAP Junior Counselors must be New Haven high school students 16 years old or older. In addition to working with children, you are required to participate in your own development including college access opportunities and tutoring when needed. The application for this position is at the bottom of this page. Our college access programming includes writing workshops focused on college essays, career fairs, college advising, a week-long out-of-state college tour, and financial aid training for parents. On our free college tour, JCs visit colleges along the East Coast, touring at least ten different colleges each year. LEAP also awards $13,000 worth of scholarships to our JCs entering college, rewarding them for their dedication and service to our LEAP community. *Application does not automatically save; if you refresh or leave the page, any entered information will be lost.* Younger than 16? Apply to be a LIT! Apply Here!

Leaders In Training (LITs) Application Form *Application does not automatically save; if you refresh or leave this page, any entered information will be lost.* Para completar la aplicación en español, cambie el botón de traducción a español en la parte superior derecha del formulario a continuación.

Educational resources on anti-racism as well as information on who is working on these issues in our community. Racial Justice & Social Change Art Is . . . (Woman and Girl with Stripes , Art Is. . . (Girlfriends Times Two), Art Is . . . (Women in Crowd Framed) (1983) by Lorraine O’Grady , Poetry Foundation (2018) by Loveis Wise, Untitled (2020) by Tomi Um , Finding Peace in Chaotic Times (2020) by Dani Pendergast Below are educational materials, tips, and healing resources meant to support all people but especially Black youth and their non-Black peers who are trying to learn how to navigate the culture of racial injustice and police brutality in our nation. Many of these resources are gathered from local and national leaders on topics of racism, police brutality, social change and activism . LEAP hopes these resources offer the space to learn, reflect, prepare, take action and heal. If you are a non-Black person, we especially encourage you to utilize these educational materials as everyone needs to recognize the value and vibrancy of Black lives as well as the ways the United States has fought against that livelihood. This list of resources is long and links to even longer lists, so our suggestion is pick one item in one medium (books, movies, podcasts, reading lesson plans, etc.) at a time that you can give complete attention to; each resource is important and you will be all the better for taking the time to learn from them. If you’ve got a lot of time on your hands, then you are always welcome to learn more at the pace that works best for you. LEAP would like to thank Abdul-Razak Zachariah for compiling these resources. Educational Materials on Anti-Racism, Social Movements and Black History in the United States View Connecticut and New Haven-based Social and Racial Justice Groups View Curriculum and Resources for Teaching Young Children and Teens about Anti-Racism and Social Movements View Healing Spaces and Resources for the Black Community View

Curriculum and Resources for Teaching Children and Teens about Anti-Racism and Social Movements Reflecting on George Floyd’s Death and Police Violence Towards Black Americans (Facing History and Ourselves) This guide from Facing History and Ourselves offers specific tips, materials and conversation starters for you and your students regarding George Floyd’s death and recent protests in response to it. This is an important resource, especially for educators and leaders who have not engaged in these conversations with students in the past. For more teaching guides, resources and advice on discussing the difficult history of racism to students, check out Facing History and Ourselves and their array of materials and events. The 1619 Project Curriculum “The 1619 Project, inaugurated with a special issue of The New York Times Magazine, challenges us to reframe U.S. history by marking the year when the first enslaved Africans arrived on Virginia soil as our nation's foundational date. Here you will find reading guides, activities, and other resources to bring The 1619 Project into your classroom.” Teaching About Race, Racism and Police Violence (Teaching Tolerance) This is a collection of educational materials, lesson plans and multimedia resources for educators to use when teaching their students on the broader and interconnected topics of race, racism and police violence. For more lesson plans and discussion guides on these topics, check out Teaching Tolerance ’s website, as well as the work done by the larger organization they are a part of, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) . Talking About Race Web Portal (National Museum of African American History and Culture) “The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture today launched Talking About Race, a new online portal designed to help individuals, families, and communities talk about racism, racial identity and the way these forces shape every aspect of society, from the economy and politics to the broader American culture. The online portal provides digital tools, online exercises, video instructions, scholarly articles and more than 100 multi-media resources tailored for educators, parents and caregivers—and individuals committed to racial equality.” Educator’s Guide for Reading Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi “This guide suggests a month-long approach to reading and discussing Stamped with middle-school and high-school readers in English, English Language Arts, Social Stud-ies, History, and Humanities classrooms.”

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 Spring 2025 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!

Food, Rent & Unemployment Rent Assistance Unite CT Rental Assistance for Connecticut's Economy Have you been financially impacted by COVID-19? Are you struggling to pay your rent and utilities? Apply for UniteCT, a rental assistance program supporting CT residents who earn up to 80% of the HUD Area Media Income and their landlords. You may qualify for the opportunity to receive missed electric outstanding payments and/or missed rent or future rent payments. To learn more and see if you qualify, visit www.bit.ly/UniteCT Asistencia de Emergencia Para Renta por la Economía de Connecticut Ha sido impactado finanieramente por el COVID-19? No le alcanza para pagar su renta y servicios básicos? Solicite ayuda con UniteCT, un programa de asistencia de renta, ayundando a residentes de CT con un ingreso de hasta el 80% de Ingreso Medio del Área (HUD) y a los dueños de propiedades. Usted puede calificar para esta oportunidad y recibir pagos para facturas astrasadas de luz y pagos para facturas atrasadas de renta. Para más información y saber si califica, visite: www.bit.ly/UniteCT Get Access to Food With many parents being laid off because of COVID-19, and school being closed, it is important to make sure children and adults still have access to nourishing meals. Breakfast and Hot lunches available to all New Haven Public School Students 11:00 AM-1:00 PM, Monday-Friday. Parents or guardians may pick up meals for their students to take home and the Student Number and Lunch Number will be needed for pick up. This document includes all of the pickup addresses. The best one-stop for information on getting food is the City of New Haven's food website . Food for people of all ages can be picked up from food pantries but it can be hard to know which food pantries are open. This list of when food is being distributed and where is updated regularly. Unemployment & Public Benefits CT has expanded access to Unemployment Insurance (UI) for COVID-19 related furloughs, layoffs and hour cutbacks. They have also extended UI to school employees who would not otherwise be covered in the summers and school vacations. There is no wait time to get benefits. For more information, click here. To apply for Temporary Family Assistance (cash assistance), Medicaid, SNAP or other benefits, visit the Connecticut Department of Social Services benefit application page . While Temporary Family Assistance recipients often are required to have an in-person meeting for recertification, this has been waived by Governor Lamont. Call the DSS Client Information Line and Benefits Center at 1-855-6-CONNECT (1-855-626-6632) and follow the prompts for the information you need. Student loan borrowers with federal loans will be able to suspend their federal student loan payments without penalty and without accruing interest for at least 60 days. Borrowers who have federally held loans will have to make a request of their loan servicers/lenders over the phone or online. Through their new "Q & A Blog Series" written by Connecticut Voices for Children's Distinguished Senior Fellow Shelley Geballe, J.D., M.P.H., Connecticut Voices for Children will be providing descriptions of, and updates about, government programs that can help you and your family survive the COVID-19 pandemic. This blog will start with an overview of federal and state programs that help parents and other workers who suddenly find themselves out of work, sick with the virus, or needing to care for others who are ill, or to care for their children because schools are closed. If your income has fallen or been cut off completely, The New York Times is here to help. This guide will connect you to the basic information you’ll need to get through this, including on government benefits, free services and financial strategies. This document from a local mutual aid network connects to a form for community members to share the needs they have and/or skills and resources they can offer in public or private formats so they can receive support from their neighbors. Mutual aid networks allow for greater reliance on community resources especially when there is a delay in government resources tha t can quickly serve community needs. LEAP Counselors compiled the following helpful documents Information and resources for communities : Unemployment Insurance, TFA, Tax Assistance, Property Tax Relief, State & Federal Benefit Programs, and more. CT Resources : Emotional Support Helpline, Food Resources, and Utilities. New Haven Covid Resources: Craft Ideas, Partner Resource Contact List, Food Assistance and more. Internet Needs Talking to Kids about COVID-19 Medical Needs COVID-19 Updates Food & Unemployment Free Online Books At Home Activities LEAP Activity Videos