NYC ACS awards Forestdale $1.75 million grant to open Family Enrichment Center in Queens.

The New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) announced on 3/22/2022 the nine awards selected for the first phase of New York City’s “Family Enrichment Center” (FEC) expansion plan. Launched in 2017, FECs are warm, home-like walk-in centers that are co-designed with local families and community members. Families and children can connect with neighbors, volunteer their time, and access resources and supports they feel they need to thrive at the centers. Last year, ACS announced that it would be expanding the FECs from three sites to thirty sites over the next three years. The new centers will be located in the hard-hit neighborhoods identified by the city’s Taskforce on Racal Inclusion and Equity (TRIE) based on their equity burdens and the impact of COVID-19. Since then, ACS has been seeking local community-based providers, with deep ties to their communities, to run the new sites. Forestdale Inc. will be opening a FEC in Jamaica/Hollis/Queens Village.