We are excited to announce that families in Arete partner schools will be able to join our Arete Hope Network program, an eight-week intervention for families in temporary housing to remove barriers for elementary and middle school students to participate in school.

Thanks to a generous grant from the RTW Charitable Foundation, Arete Education can provide wrap-around supports (stipends, groceries, hotspots and laptops, mentoring, daily attendance support) for up to 25 families in the South Bronx and Harlem with the aim to positively impact their children's attendance rates and grades during the spring term.

This is an 8-week pilot program we are eager to expand beyond March 2021. We have invited families at our partner schools in CSD 7 (Mott Haven) and CSD 3 (Harlem) to nominate families to participate in this program who 1) are currently in temporary housing (shelter, doubled up) and 2) would benefit from wrap around support to maintain attendance or to improve attendance for the new spring term.

We will accept families on a rolling basis until capacity is reached.

Throughout the pandemic, Arete Education has been expanding access to resources for families in Mott Haven and Harlem. With the support of our our Family Help Hotline and Family Advocate team, we have been able to support families with groceries, access to technology, and assistance leaving temporary housing. With the Arete Hope Network, we are actively expanding those efforts.

Meet Our Family Advocate Team

Lizzette Cheatwood

Family Advocate and Bilingual Family Help Hotline Staff Member

Gabriel Hernandez

Community Schools Director at 07X223 and Family Advocate Team Leader. Gabriel manages the Family Help Hotline, Family Advocate Program, and Arete Hope Network.

Amairany (Amy) Arizmendi

Arete Secretary and Family Advocate. Amy leads our communication and logistics for family access to technology and all program activities; alumni of 07X223 The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology.

David Gandolfo

Learning Advocate for middle school students and coordinator for Arete Hope Network family services.

Yennifer Torres

Learning Advocate for middle school students; alumni of 07X223 The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology.

Natalie Rodriguez

Learning Advocate for middle school students; alumni of 07X223 The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology.

Steven Ni

Learning Advocate for middle school students.