Graduation Day at Mott Haven Academy Charter School

Last Monday, 40 kindergartners, most of whom are in the child welfare system, graduated from their class at the Mott Haven Academy Charter School, a charter school sponsored by The New York Foundling, a non-profit agency.According to a press release, the school’s model is unusual in that it “integrates the rigorous academic curriculum of a charter school with the supportive social services that many of these children and families rely on to remain intact.”Pictured is Jessica Nauiokas, Mott Haven Academy’s principal and founder, with one of the young students. (Photo courtesy of The New York Foundling.)

New Green Cart in Bedford Park

Last week, just as the weather was getting warmer, a new green cart debuted in Bedford Park on the corner of Grand Concourse and Bedford Park Blvd. It seems to be the first green cart in the neighborhood, though we’d like to hear more about this from our readers. The cart offers summer favorites like pineapple, cherries, and watermelon. If you live in the area, be sure to check it out.

Straight from the Farm to the South Bronx

Photo Credit: Marcus Yam/The New York Times The New York Times has a short video feature about the new South Bronx farm share, which was created by Dennis Derryk, a community organizer and professor at the New School for Management and Urban Policy. Similar to a Community Supported Agriculture or CSA, Derryk’s program allows residents to pay for shares of fruits and vegetables from several farms in upstate New York. But instead of paying hundreds of dollars at the beginning of the season, shareholders only have to pay two weeks in advance and the rates are on a sliding scale based on income. To learn more about the Corbin Hill Road Farm, where residents will begin to get most of their fruits and vegetable, visit the farm’s website Read the full story at New York Times .

Where The Homeless Kids Are

Among the 35,451 people living in New York City’s homeless shelters on Wednesday, June 23rd, there were 14,437 children, according to the city’s Department of Homeless Services.While many students in New York City’s public school system face steep challenges, few face more difficult obstacles than those whose home is a shelter.Reporters at the City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism have produced a comprehensive report on homeless students in the city, including this map by reporters Colby Hamilton and Alana Casanova-Burgess showing which districts hosted the largest numbers of homeless students during the 2008-2009 school year. For more coverage of issues facing youth in New York City, check out City Limits magazine.