FIRST OUT OF THE GATE BELMONT CHILD CARE ASSOCIATION, INC. There are only so many moments in life you’ll remember forever. The Finest Horses The Greatest Experiences The Perfect Partnership Partners in some of the best moments of your life. Partnership Interests Now Available 888-606-7223 CENTENNIALFARMS.COM And They’re Off... Our one-of-a kind charity has been sustained for many years thanks to the incredible generosity of the many caring horsemen and women in the thoroughbred racing industry. Belmont Child Care Association’s Anna House was built to create a safe and nurturing environment for the children of backstretch workers at Belmont Park, Aqueduct Race Track, and Saratoga Race Course, and Bright Horizons was engaged to operate an early childhood education and development program to teach our children English and provide them with the fundamental learning blocks that most of us take for granted. Following graduation from Anna House, our children enter kindergarten in the local public schools at the same level as their peers. Our graduates now join us in our school-age enrichment program before school, on the weekends, and during vacations. Thanks to our Olivia’s Herd after-school program, they are provided with free tutoring during elementary school and middle school. Anna House is open 365 days a year to accommodate the schedules of the backstretch workers, and BCCA also funds several programs for children in Saratoga during the summer meet. Over the past five years, BCCA has worked to make its mark in the community, and we are now the proud recipients of grant funding from local and state governments, family foundations, and individual and corporate donors. We receive much needed in-kind donations through our many community partners, and we are most grateful for their support of our incredible programs. BCCA inspires a love of learning and we are proud to see our children receive accolades in school. Many of them are on the honor roll, identified as leaders in their classrooms, praised for their mutual respect of tolerance and diversity, and rewarded for their talents in music, art, and dance. We teach them the importance of giving back to the community, and they volunteer their time on projects to assist those in need. As our students have advanced, our new women’s literacy program has provided our mothers with an enhanced confidence level as they establish closer bonds with their children while reading to them in English at home each evening. To assist in achieving our fundraising goals we are now offering a gift when donations are made at our special events: a chic BCCA scarf that spells out the word “children” in nautical letters among equestrian imagery. And our annual magazine provides content about our organization and the thoroughbred racing industry. We are truly making progress year after year and changing lives at the racetrack every day! Joanne K. Adams Executive Director 3 A Message from our President, Libby Imperio Welcome back to First Out of the Gate! PROGRESS is the word of the year! We have been busy at Belmont Child Care Association fulfilling our mission to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the children of the backstretch. While the babies and toddlers learn to crawl, walk, and talk, our pre-kindergarten kids are busy learning their letters and numbers, and developing critical social skills such as how to share and play well with others. Our PROGRESS is apparent in the school-age classrooms where our program has grown to serve almost 30 young graduates of Anna House. They come to us before and after school as well as on school holidays; thanks to generous donations we were able to take the children on outings this past year, including trips to see Phantom of the Opera and Frozen on Broadway. PROGRESS is working together with our board of directors, exploring ways to expand our programs to help as many of the backstretch families as possible. I’m especially proud of two of them that serve the parents of our kids. The Women’s Literacy program, made possible by the New York Women’s Foundation and Charlotte Weber, has grown from four to 30 mothers; and the ABC’s of Life provides adult education on finance, banking, immigration, health, and nutrition as well as parenting seminars. Last, but far from least, our biggest area of PROGRESS is fulfilling a long-term dream of having our own building in Saratoga. We are pleased to report that we are planning to break ground on our new facility in late 2020! Without the generosity of you, our amazing donors, none of this would be possible. Stay tuned to see what progress continues to develop out of our gates. Libby 5 Meet the Team (L to R) Rachel G. Battle, Development Manager, Joanne K. Adams, Executive Director, Patricia C. O’Grady, Marketing & Strategic Partnerships Photo Credit: Bruce Soyez-Bernard BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michael Dubb, Chairman Libby Imperio, President Donald V. Little, Jr., Vice President Laura Barillaro, Treasurer Patrick H. Mackay, Secretary Eileen Bellavia Kris Edwards Vanessa Rodriguez Nick Caras Terry Finley Jane Sanzen Nancy Kelly ADVISORY BOARD Pam Abrams Jacqueline M. Goode Christine Meyers Sydney Adams Scott Johnson Ellen Moelis Angela Anton Nicole M. Katz Laura Schaefer Kimberly Bancroft Shannon Kelly Erin King Sweeney Gordon Boyd Major Chuck Kilbride LaTonna Wilson Mary Rizzuto-Galante Erin McLaughlin Maureen Winney Rodnell Workman MISSION The mission of the Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. is to provide a safe, supportive, and academically inspiring environment for the children of parents working in the thoroughbred racing backstretch area located at New York’s historic Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Saratoga Race Course. We are committed to promoting early childhood education, molding young minds, and encouraging the fulfillment of dreams. BELMONT CHILD CARE ASSOCIATION, INC. 2150 Hempstead Turnpike, Belmont Park, Gate 6, Elmont, NY 11003 Tel: 516.488.2103 Fax: 516.488.1410 www.belmontchildcare.org 6 ENJOY SUMMER AT THE VANDERBILT Limited suites remain f o r extended Summer rental Rent a luxury suite at The Vanderbilt this summer and enjoy concierge services, a state of the art fitness center with aerobics studio, outdoor heated pool and upscale dining featuring Kingfish Oyster Bar & Restaurant. A fabulous new culinary landmark by renowned Chef Tom Schaudel, a sophisticated, VanderbiltLongIsland.com | 800.464.1638 stylish place to call home and meet new friends. 990 Corporate Drive, Westbury, NY 11590 Now accepting bookings for May through September. *Prices and availability subject to change without notice. Equal housing opportunity. For her support of Belmont Child Care Association and on being the 2019 Spring Fling Honoree. Tracey and Jonathan Serko THE BOUNDARY GROUP CONGRATULATES SOLSOL KUMENKUMIN 2019 RACING FOR THE CHILDREN HONOREE BCCA’S Anna House inspires a love of learning that the children carry with them from the early childhood education program to their elementary school classrooms. MANHASSET PRESS • GREAT NECK RECORD • GLEN COVE RECORD PILOT • OYSTER BAY ENTERPRISE-PILOT • MINEOLA AMERICAN • LEVITTOWN TRIBUNE • LEVITTOWN PORT WASHINGTON NEWS NEWS WASHINGTON PORT ANTON MEDIA GROUP WEEKLY LI Congratulates SYOSSET-JERICHO TRIBUNE • SYOSSET-JERICHO Angela Susan Anton • and the The National Charity League on their Well Deserved Honor NEWS • ILLUSTRATED • NEW HYDE PARK in Support of • THE WESTBURY TIMES WESTBURY THE • Belmont Child Care Association GARDEN CITY LIFE AntonMediaGroup.com 132 East Second Street, Mineola, New York 11501 FARMINGDALE OBSERVER FARMINGDALE Phone 516.747.8282 ~ Fax 516.742.5867 • HICKSVILLE ILLUSTRATED NEWS • • HICKSVILLE ILLUSTRATED • MASSAPEQUA OBSERVER • • MASSAPEQUA PLAINVIEW-OLD BETHPAGE HERALD PLAINVIEW-OLD BETHPAGE LEVITTOWN TRIBUNE LEVITTOWN THE ROSLYN NEWS • THE WESTBURY TIMES • SYOSSET-JERICHO TRIBUNE • PORT WASHINGTON NEWS • MANHASSET PRESS First Out of the Gate 2 0 1 9 Patricia C. O’Grady Editor Kimberly M. Carlstrom Ray Sikorski, RTS Printing Art Director Publisher Special Thanks Pam Abrams Kristen C. Laird Ellen Shea Contributors Bruce Soyez-Bernard Featured photographer. Born in France, Bruce was raised in Le Havre, and moved to Paris at the age of 20 to study photography and photojournalism. After two years taking pictures of the daily life in Africa, he started shooting fashion and beauty photography, which has become his specialty. He presently splits his time between New York and New Mexico. Valerie Clement Co-owner of KDO Design, LLC, and wife of Thoroughbred horse trainer, Christophe Clement. Teresa Genaro is a high school English teacher and freelance turf writer. She is a past member of the board of the Belmont Child Care Association. A native of Saratoga Springs, NY, she lives in Brooklyn, where she teaches, writes, and rescues cats. In her free time, she cheers for the Rangers at the Garden, plays a mean Scrabble game, and spends as much as she can on Brooklyn beaches. David Grening has covered horse racing since 1991, the last 20 years as the New York correspondent for Daily Racing Form. In 2011, he was the recipient of the Walter Haight award, given annually for career excellence in Turf writing by the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association. In 2012, the Maryland Jockey Club presented Grening with the Old Hilltop Award, honoring those who have covered Thoroughbred racing with excellence and distinction. Dave Litfin has been among the most well-known public handicappers for the past 30 years, working for the New York Daily News, Daily Racing Form, the New York Racing Association, and The Blood Horse. He is the author of Dave Litfin’s Expert Handicapping and Real-Life Handicapping, and co-authored several other books including Champions and Bet With the Best. He is currently on the chart- calling team at Equibase. A native of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Litfin and his wife Robin spent every summer at Saratoga from 1985 through 2016, and lived there year-round for 15 years before relocating to South Florida in 2017.