The 14th Street Y (14Y) is a vibrant JCC grounded in the belief that contemporary Jewish life can be a source of inspiration, connection, and learning for the individuals and families we serve throughout New York City’s East Village and beyond. 14Y is one of four community centers of Educational Alliance, one of New York City’s original settlement houses offering individuals and families high-quality, multi-generational programs and services that enhance their well-being and socioeconomic opportunities. We are a place where everyone is welcome and where progress is powered one relationship at a time. We provide high-quality, transformational services and programs to all New Yorkers.

The 14th Street Y, as part of the Educational Alliance, endeavors to build a vibrant and democratic society where all people have the community supports they need to thrive. As part of this goal, 14Y launched an Inclusion Program in 2010, which includes the following:

- KOL, which stands for Kindness, Openness, and Love, is a recreational program geared toward children and adolescents, ages 4-17, who are on the Autism spectrum, have sensory sensitivities, or developmental and language delays. The KOL program offers a variety of arts, movement, and sports classes that promote coordination, an awareness of space, and a connection between mind and body. Music and art classes provide therapeutic outlets for creative expression and sports classes foster physical fitness and teamwork. Classes are available from October through June and class lengths are tailored to two different age groups (30-minute classes for children ages 4-6 and 45-minute classes for children ages 7-17).
- New Country Day Camp (NCDC), is an inclusion-based summer camp and completely outdoor experience for campers entering kindergarten through eighth grade. NCDC invites children to swim, play sports, and discover the natural world around them through an enriching inclusive setting informed by Jewish sensibilities. NCDC prides itself on being an inclusion camp that provides tailored supports to children with special needs so that they can participate as fully as possible in camp activities. NCDC also offers older campers, including those with special needs, the opportunity to gain meaningful leadership experience through our Leaders in Training program for tweens and our Counselor in Training (CIT) program for youth ages 14 and 15. Transportation on air-conditioned buses from convenient locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn is provided to the 75-acre Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds in the forest of the Staten Island Greenbelt, where swimming pools, hiking trails, and open meadows set the scene for a summer of adventure and enrichment for campers.
- 14Y Preschool, is a private, Jewish preschool with a robust framework for supporting children with developmental delays and special needs. We believe children are naturally competent, capable learners with a built-in ability to devise their own ideas and persist in tackling them. Our approach to learning also emphasizes socialization. Here, children begin to build relationships with peers and with adults other than parents and caregivers, acquiring a set of skills they will carry through life. Our Preschool Director has the expertise in special needs education to ensure that our spaces and curriculum foster and meet the differentiated development needs of all learners. We guide families through the evaluation process and assist them with their child’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
- The Afterschool Program offers children in grades Kindergarten through 5th the opportunity to engage their heads, hearts, and hands in a supportive and community-minded environment grounded in Jewish sensibilities. The talented and nurturing staff in our Afterschool Program learn through additional training to better provide a safe place where all children can learn, explore, and build self-esteem, all while having fun. Our Program offers homework help, a healthy snack, and age-appropriate classes, including dance, drama, gaga, gymnastics, karate, chess, and film-making, every weekday till 6pm. Tuition includes transportation from a variety of neighborhood schools. Register for the full week of Afterschool, or for any number of weekdays. Pre-K After School is also available.
- The Aquatics Program is designed to teach swimming and water safety to children ages 4-12 on the autism spectrum as well as those with sensory processing disorder and cerebral palsy, among other needs. The Program works on improving a child’s physical health, social skills, and confidence through swimming. In all Aquatics classes, including our Special Needs classes, we use the American Red Cross learn to swim system. Over the course of the year, we hold three sections of our Special Needs Aquatic Program.