NSF LogoIn the fall of 2008, the Salvadori Center was awarded a $1.14 million, 5-year grant by the National Science Foundation to run B.R.I.D.G.E.S [Build, Research, Invent, Design, Grow and Explore through Science], an after-school science education program for 8- to 12-year olds. B.R.I.D.G.E.S is run in partnership with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).

By 2013, the Center will have programs running in 25 NYCHA community centers, as well as in several nearby cities.  In addition, we will develop an after-school STEM curriculum guide that will be distributed nationwide.

B.R.I.D.G.E.S activities will be done in small groups co-taught by a Salvadori educator and a NYCHA community center instructor. The Center will train the NYCHA staff, and then work closely with them throughout the year. As the program progresses, Salvadori educators will move to new NYCHA locations while NYCHA after-school instructors take over the teaching with ongoing support and professional development from the Center. To measure the success of the program, Youth Studies, Inc. will provide evaluation and assessment through surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, and interviews.

Check out videos about the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Program on the NY1 and Gotham Schools websites!

 

B.R.I.D.G.E.S Centers

  • Bronxdale (Bronx)
  • Manhattanville (Manhattan)
  • South Beach (Staten Island)
  • Hammel (Queens)
  • Gun Hill (Bronx)
  • Parkside (Bronx)
  • Lehman Village (Manhattan)
  • King Towers (Manhattan)
  • Brevoort (Brooklyn)
  • Williamsburg (Brooklyn)