Prep Partners with NYCHA to Expand Program Outreach

Prep for Prep’s Admission Team is always searching for innovative ways to connect with more New York City families. What began with a phone call to the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) in an effort to reach more families in Brooklyn has developed into a formal partnership, with Prep for Prep and NYCHA working together to ensure that families in NYCHA public housing developments throughout the Big Apple know about the opportunities Prep provides. Over the past four decades, Prep for Prep has had many students from NYCHA properties; however, the hope is that with this effort Prep for Prep will become a household name among NYCHA families.

The collaboration between the two organizations has several components. Early on in the partnership, printed mailers were sent to NYCHA families with children in Prep’s target age range. “Our goal was to get information directly into those adults’ hands so that they were more empowered to make decisions for the young people in their lives,” says Johanna Rodriguez, Prep for Prep’s Director of Admissions. Admissions Officers attend NYCHA Family Days to meet prospective students and their parents and guardians face to face. They share information about the program and distribute Prep swag to attendees. Prep for Prep’s Associate Director of Admissions, Shahara Ahmed, presented to NYCHA’s Citywide Council of Presidents, which is composed of 10 districts in the city and includes every president of a recognized NYCHA resident association.

During the admissions season, from August to January, Prep for Prep includes blurbs in NYCHA’s monthly newsletter — which is distributed to residents — promoting the program and inviting families to apply. In September, NYCHA profiled a current Prep student and her mother in a video and article that appeared in The NYCHA Journal, a digital newspaper that reaches 600,000 public housing and Section 8 residents and 10,000 employees.

“NYCHA benefits from its partnership with Prep for Prep through the opportunity to connect young residents to resources, programs, and experiences that might otherwise be unavailable,” says Nichelle Hudlin, NYCHA’s Strategic Partnerships Manager. “The NYCHA community is enthusiastic about this valuable partnership.”

The collaboration is championed by Annika Lescott Martinez (P9 XV/Hotchkiss ’06, UNC Chapel Hill ’10) MPA, Columbia ’15, NYCHA’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. “We all want the best for our students, and as the CFO of NYCHA, I want the best for our families,” says Annika.

Fatimatou lives in a Manhattan NYCHA development with her mother, Kesha. After completing Prep’s intensive 14-month Preparatory Component in August, she is now a seventh-grader at The Nightingale-Bamford School. Fatimatou, who goes by Fatima, has only been at the school for a couple of months, but she is already noticing the differences between Nightingale and her previous school. “Nightingale has a lot more opportunity for me than I thought I would ever have,” says Fatima. “Nightingale cares about each student and when I walk into school everyday I can tell I am in a space where I am wanted and appreciated. Each teacher sees every student at their full potential and that’s something you don’t see at every school.”

Fatima’s mother, Kesha, has observed the positive impact as well. “Fatima has gained confidence, a different culture, and an excellent quality of education,” says Kesha. “Bigger and better doors will open for her. She will be able to show her potential and know that she belongs there…. I told my daughter, ‘Just because you live in a NYCHA development, NYCHA doesn’t deter who you are. It’s not how you start but how you finish.’”

Read more from the 2024 Annual Report.