2020 Virtual Summer Camp SEED Impact Report

This summer, we teamed up with SEED Impact, an organization which helps nonprofits assess and strengthen their work, to evaluate our summer camp program and the impact it had on the children who participated. Being our first foray into synchronous distance learning and playing, the results were encouraging and will greatly inform our work going forward.

View the 2020 Impact Report.

Alt text: Pictured is the cover of the Summer Camp Impact Report. The cover features a young Black girl at an Extreme Kids program wearing a blue shirt with her hands waving in the air. At the top, white text on a blue background reads “Extreme Kids & Crew 2020 Virtual Summer Camp. Analysis & Report by SEED Impact.” At the bottom is the Extreme Kids & Crew logo.

Watch: A Conversation on Race & Disability

This discussion on the intersection of anti-Blackness and ableism is hosted by Extreme Kids & Crew, which cultivates welcoming, accessible spaces where kids ...

On Wednesday, October 14, we welcomed a handful of self-advocates and experts on race and disability to talk about intersectionality, what disability justice looks like, how children can advocate for themselves, and much more. You can watch the whole discussion above, and you can read a transcript of the conversation and learn more about the panelists here.

Board President Vanessa Connelly on Being A Woman Business Leader in 2020

From Authority Magazine:

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

My work as board chair at Extreme Kids and Crew has been very exciting and rewarding. We went from having one space in a public school to three sensory gyms in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, all in fairly short order. To go from these really physical spaces to a fully virtual footprint after the pandemic closures was a massive change. As an organization that creates community for disabled kids and their people, strategizing about how to most effectively reach out online and create programming and events that interested, served and expanded these connections at such an isolating time- that has been exciting. I am so impressed with our Executive Director Caitlin Cassaro and the whole staff for not only meeting the challenge but thriving in this new world.

Read the whole interview with Vanessa.

New School Year, New Space

Classroom space is at a premium right now, and so in order to adhere to social distancing protocols we have moved out of our beloved host schools – P.S. 15, P.S. 71, and The Sheridan Academy of Young Leaders. We are sad to leave our play spaces, but we are not leaving YOU or the communities who ARE Extreme Kids & Crew.

We expect our in-person programs to be up and running when it is safe to do so, and we will update you again on our plans in November. Right now, we're thrilled to see all of our families online, and we're focused on providing engaging and diverse virtual programs. Know this: The space may be changing, but the mission is not. Through Powerful Parents, summer camp, Play & Create, after-school, and the rest of our programs, we remain committed to fighting against isolation and strengthening our relationships to each other.

We hope to see you and your families during virtual programs, and we'll keep you updated on our in-person programs later this fall. Stay safe.

In conversation with Nonprofit New York member: Extreme Kids & Crew

Original article posted by Nonprofit New York

Membership Director Taina Sanon spoke with Caitlin Cassaro of Extreme Kids & Crew, a member organization of Nonprofit New York. We will continue to highlight the work of our members, like Extreme Kids & Crew, because we believe when your nonprofit is stronger, all of us are stronger.

Tell me about the organization and what you do.

At Extreme Kids & Crew, we cultivate welcoming, accessible spaces where kids with disabilities and their people create a supportive community through the arts, play and conversation. We play, we create, we follow the children's lead and listen to their parents and caregivers. We work together to advocate for and with people with disabilities, and with families fighting for their and their child's rights. We celebrate the differences disability brings, and recognize much of the hardship felt by those living with disability is due to discrimination rather than the disability itself.

How many are on your team?

With 2 new hires, we have 8 full-time staff and 4 part-time staff.

Servicing how many of the nonprofit population?

We serve approximately 500 families.

Where do you see your organization in the next five years or ten years?

Extreme Kids will expand its after-school and camp program throughout NYC, by partnering with larger, in-school community based organizations not providing this experience to their children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Extreme Kids will have a large home-base location from which school-based programs will be managed. This location will be completely accessible and sensory friendly, with different rooms for different activities, including a performance space.

How has partnering with Nonprofit New York helped you succeed?

Nonprofit New York has been a valuable support to Extreme Kids in assisting the organization in building the necessary skills needed to grow and sustain an organization.

What are you currently working on that you want us to mention to our membership?

We are currently working on piloting the expansion of our popular after-school and summer camp program so that we may serve more children with developmental disabilities throughout NYC. With that we are further developing our program evaluation protocol and front-line staff training module.

[infographic] 2020 Mid-Year Review

Click on the image to view the .pdf files larger.