Since starting Countee Cullen, Rheedlen has operated the Beacon as a year-round, comprehensive youth development program at P.S. 194 in Central Harlem. Both programs are operated under the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development's Beacon Schools initiative. Both Beacons provide young people and their families with the supports and services that enable them to have a vision of a productive future. Countee Cullen has been recognized nationally as a model for delivering youth developmental services in urban communities. Children without adult supervision are at significantly greater risk of truancy from school, stress, receiving poor grades, risk-taking behavior, and substance use.
Children spend more of their discretionary time watching television than any other activity.
The total amount of time children spend watching TV has declined since 1981, due in part to the fact that children are spending substantially more time in school now than they were in the past. Children from families on welfare have a cumulative vocabulary of 525 words by age three compared to children from professional families who have a cumulative vocabulary of 1,116 words by age three. Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children . We also must provide their parents with programs that enrich and empower them so that the parents can better ensure the safety of their children and keep families intact. Therefore, Beacon programs incorporate a wide spectrum of activities and services that include academic, recreational, social and cultural themes and preventive services.