Grand Street Settlement
Encyclopedia
Grand Street Settlement is an historic social service institution on the Lower East Side
in New York City
and was founded in 1916 in response to the needs of waves of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe
who were settling in the area. Today, over 10,000 children, youth, families and older adults residing on the Lower East Side and Brooklyn
are served through Grand Street Settlement’s community-based programs.
). They noticed a need for smaller settlement houses in helping the under served communities of the Lower East Side achieve self-sufficiency. With the help of philanthropist Rose Gruening, they opened the Arnold Toynbee House (named after the British social reformer, Arnold Toynbee
) in a brownstone at 257 Division Street. Eight years later, the settlement house was renamed Grand Street Settlement.
In the 1920s and 1930s, the Settlement's main services were provided through clubs for girls and boys and young men and women. These clubs featured art, sewing, and dance. The Settlement also operated a kindergarten for the children of working parents and household management and child-rearing programs for parents.
In 1925, Camp Moodna in Orange County, New York was donated to Grand Street, offering a respite location for working girls who needed a break from the summer heat. Later years gave way to summer day camps for both boys and girls. One of the first tenant unions was also organized by the Grand Street Settlement.
By the 1930s, the agency had expanded its services, and professionals began replacing volunteers on staff. Core programs in the late 1930s and during the 1940s included childcare, daycare, and health and personal services.
Beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, and continuing to the present, the Lower East Side has seen the arrival of new immigrants, mostly from the Caribbean
, Latin America
, and Asia
. As a main provider of social services in the area, Grand Street Settlement has adapted its programs and services to accommodate their needs.
Early childhood programs serve the emotional, social, cognitive and physical development needs of over 400 children though Early Head Start, Head Start, and Day Care programs for newborns to age six.
Youth and adolescents are served through programs such as Attendance Improvement and Dropout Prevention, Girls’ and Young Women’s Initiative, Boys’ and Young Men’s Initiative, the College and Career Discovery Center, and Project COOL (Creative Opportunities for Outstanding Learners). Grand Street also has an active Intel Computer Clubhouse
, which allows youth to express themselves through cutting edge technology. The Summer Day Camp is also a long-standing tradition of Grand Street Settlement and provides youngsters with an array of educational and recreational activities for seven weeks each summer, in a safe and nurturing environment. In addition, Grand Street Settlement is a partner with the Americorps
program and provides in-service training for 40 volunteers.
Programs for adults and families consist of counseling and support services for students and families, including a Single Stop Center which offers benefits screening and on-sites tax assistance and financial and legal help, and a Community Technology Center which is available to the entire community.
Programs for seniors assist low-income, frail and often isolated and homebound older residents of the Lower East Side. Services include nutritional, educational and recreational activities as well as a Senior Housing project which offers apartments and supportive services to older adults.
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and was founded in 1916 in response to the needs of waves of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
who were settling in the area. Today, over 10,000 children, youth, families and older adults residing on the Lower East Side and Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
are served through Grand Street Settlement’s community-based programs.
History of Grand Street Settlement
Grand Street Settlement was founded in 1916 by a group of young adults who were part of the Stevenson Club at Madison House (the present Hamilton-Madison HouseHamilton-Madison House
Hamilton-Madison House is a voluntary, non-profit settlement house dedicated to improving the quality of life of its community, primarily that of the Two Bridges/Chinatown area of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York, United States...
). They noticed a need for smaller settlement houses in helping the under served communities of the Lower East Side achieve self-sufficiency. With the help of philanthropist Rose Gruening, they opened the Arnold Toynbee House (named after the British social reformer, Arnold Toynbee
Arnold Toynbee
Arnold Toynbee was a British economic historian also noted for his social commitment and desire to improve the living conditions of the working classes.-Biography:...
) in a brownstone at 257 Division Street. Eight years later, the settlement house was renamed Grand Street Settlement.
In the 1920s and 1930s, the Settlement's main services were provided through clubs for girls and boys and young men and women. These clubs featured art, sewing, and dance. The Settlement also operated a kindergarten for the children of working parents and household management and child-rearing programs for parents.
In 1925, Camp Moodna in Orange County, New York was donated to Grand Street, offering a respite location for working girls who needed a break from the summer heat. Later years gave way to summer day camps for both boys and girls. One of the first tenant unions was also organized by the Grand Street Settlement.
By the 1930s, the agency had expanded its services, and professionals began replacing volunteers on staff. Core programs in the late 1930s and during the 1940s included childcare, daycare, and health and personal services.
Beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, and continuing to the present, the Lower East Side has seen the arrival of new immigrants, mostly from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. As a main provider of social services in the area, Grand Street Settlement has adapted its programs and services to accommodate their needs.
Programs
Today, Grand Street Settlement focuses on four primary program areas: early childhood, children and youth, adults, and senior citizens. More than 10,000 community members participate annually in the agency’s programs which are participant-driven and fueled by diversity of culture and need. Grand Street Settlement staff and volunteers reflect the cultures of those they serve.Early childhood programs serve the emotional, social, cognitive and physical development needs of over 400 children though Early Head Start, Head Start, and Day Care programs for newborns to age six.
Youth and adolescents are served through programs such as Attendance Improvement and Dropout Prevention, Girls’ and Young Women’s Initiative, Boys’ and Young Men’s Initiative, the College and Career Discovery Center, and Project COOL (Creative Opportunities for Outstanding Learners). Grand Street also has an active Intel Computer Clubhouse
Computer Clubhouse
The Computer Clubhouse is a worldwide network of after-school learning settings, founded by Mitchel Resnick and Natalie Rusk of the MIT Media Lab in Boston, USA...
, which allows youth to express themselves through cutting edge technology. The Summer Day Camp is also a long-standing tradition of Grand Street Settlement and provides youngsters with an array of educational and recreational activities for seven weeks each summer, in a safe and nurturing environment. In addition, Grand Street Settlement is a partner with the Americorps
AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is a U.S. federal government program that was created under President Bill Clinton by the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 and later expanded by 50 percent under President George W. Bush...
program and provides in-service training for 40 volunteers.
Programs for adults and families consist of counseling and support services for students and families, including a Single Stop Center which offers benefits screening and on-sites tax assistance and financial and legal help, and a Community Technology Center which is available to the entire community.
Programs for seniors assist low-income, frail and often isolated and homebound older residents of the Lower East Side. Services include nutritional, educational and recreational activities as well as a Senior Housing project which offers apartments and supportive services to older adults.