LSNC programs are endlessly evolving to better suit the changing social, educational, recreational and cultural needs of the individuals and families who utilize and enjoy the benefits of the center. The majority of our community members live in proximity to LNSC – long-term residents of the Amsterdam Houses. Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center was established as a part of the settlement house movement in 1947. Originating in the UK, but brought to the US by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Jane Addams, the 19th century movement for social reform has left an indelible mark on New York City. The settlement houses of today enhance our neighborhoods, uptown and downtown, east and west and connect all by the common thread of community service.
LSNC is a mainstay in the upper west side community that surrounds it. By providing the local residents with a reliable place to meet their individual needs, LSNC fosters a supportive environment in which community members become family. LSNC is housed within the Amsterdam Addition building at 250 West 65th Street, a two-floor space leased from the New York City Housing Authority. Program participants include those residing on the 25 upper floors of the Amsterdam Addition, as well as the 13 additional buildings that form the Amsterdam Houses in the surrounding area between 61st—65th Streets.
Mabel Barrett Fitzgerald Daycare Center
Our program provides a complete, developmentally appropriate curriculum to meet the needs of every child by providing a warm and nurturing atmosphere in which children and their parents feel part of an extended family focused on their child’s growth and development. Led by our highly qualified and enthusiastic staff, LSNC conducts a culturally rich early education program for 69 children aged
24 months – 4 years and 11 months old.
Drawing upon decades of experience, our dedicated staff implements a creative and educational program designed to enhance development while attending to the individual needs of each child. Our structured daily routine includes classroom programs in music, visual arts, math, science and hygiene; as well as a health conscious meal program consisting of breakfast, lunch and a snack. We introduce children to reading and writing preparatory activities involving recognition of letters and words. Fine motor skills are developed through daily art and play including games, puzzles, and painting activities. With their children busy acquiring an important blueprint for future learning, parents are free to focus on professional pursuits.
Youth Services Program
LSNC operates two programs for youth aged 5 to 12 years old. Our Afterschool Program runs throughout the school year, September to June. Additionally, we offer a seven-week Summer Camp through July and August. Our curriculum focuses on four key elements: reading, arts, technology and athletics. This approach allows our students to explore creativity in music, drama, and visual arts while building and attaining new computer skills, which leads to academic growth. We further our students desire to achieve by periodically inviting guest educators who cover a variety of topics, from political elections and financial literacy to career paths and entrepreneurship.
With two Group Leaders for each classroom, students in our Afterschool Program receive the attention and focus needed to ensure their involvement in the program is a positive experience for every child. We are fortunate to be surrounded by renowned cultural and educational institutions, and building new partnerships with the Lincoln Square community has been a high priority. Our new partnership with the New York Institute of Technology adds a key element of the Afterschool Program, laying a foundation that cements the importance of skills now so useful in everyday life. The opportunity to include technology in our program will teach children at a very young age the importance of technology and the multitude of ways that it influences our lives.
Highlighting the importance of staying healthy and active, athletics remains one of the central components of our Afterschool Program. Students participate in recreational activities, including basketball and other team sports in our newly refurbished gym. We continue to partner with Super Soccer Stars, an organization that demonstrates the importance of teamwork and confidence building while playing soccer.
Senior Services Program
Our comprehensive Senior Services Program for adults over the age of sixty seeks to help older adults to maintain independence, stability, and social connectedness to their communities. By providing access to necessary services that address the physical and mental health, as well as the social needs of our seniors, LSNC has become an established resource to the senior community that relies upon it.
The program activities at LSNC are updated monthly – from yoga to painting classes, we strive to bring something to the program for every interest. Lunch is served five days a week at the Center, providing our community members with the opportunity to socialize with their friends over an affordable meal. Exercise classes and ballroom dancing regularly appear on the monthly agenda and our new partnership with the Concert Artists Guild brings a lunchtime concert series. Bilingual (Spanish/English) staff provides on-site and in-home services for those who are unable to make office visits. LSNC social workers assist with obtaining and maintaining benefits including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, SSI, food stamps and public assistance by providing information and referrals to medical, psychiatric, legal, vocational and home care services. Our senior services program provides a nurturing space where our senior community members can dine together, enjoy activities with one another, give and receive encouragement and, with the support and assistance of the LSNC staff, help one another to live healthy, happy lives.