Effective City After-School Program Gets Dyson Funding
Harriet Tubman Academic Skills Program Gets Great Results
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 2007
POUGHKEEPSIE--As its name implies, children enrolled in the Harriet Tubman Academic
Skills Program don’t play kick ball—they hit the books. And now, with help from a $40,000
grant from the Dyson Foundation, the surprisingly effective City of Poughkeepsie-based after
school program has much of the funding needed to continue to serve nearly 60 elementary
school-aged children for another two years.
“We seem to be the best kept secret in Dutchess County,” said Program Director Christine
Arnfield, who helped found the free after school and summer program 10 years ago. Since then,
Arnfield said, the program has consistently helped city children achieve better grades (and
superior scores on state-mandated tests) than their peers who do not attend the program by
focusing on the fundamentals of reading and homework.
“Our main goal here is to make sure that their homework is getting done and that it’s getting
done neatly,” Arnfield said of the non-profit program, which serves students (kindergarten
through sixth grade) who live in Poughkeepsie’s Tubman Terrace apartment complex, and, space
permitting, other children from the rest of the city.
Clinton Elementary School Teacher Kathleen Seyfert attested to HTASP’s successful track
record, pointing to the after school program’s unique ability to partner with teachers in her
neighborhood-based elementary school over the years.
“This program has been a tremendous asset to the children enrolled in the Poughkeepsie School
District,” said Seyfert, a fifth grade teacher. “Mrs. Arnfield and her staff worked closely with me
in preparing my students for the new social studies standardized test. As a result, my students
scored very well, and continue to score higher than those not enrolled in the program.”
Joseph Olah, chairman of the HTASP’s board of directors, said the program relies heavily upon
community volunteers to help children complete and comprehend their homework. Along with a
program director and three teachers (all part-time employees), Olah said, the program utilizes up
to 40 volunteers to accomplish its mission.
Volunteers hail from every corner of the community, including parents, retirees, Vassar and
Marist college students, IBM employees, and congregants from area churches. (Two local
churches jointly own Tubman Terrace—the Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church and AME
Zion Church.) But, Olah stressed, the after school program always needs more volunteers in
order to provide the individual attention that makes it so effective. “We have a drastic need for
more volunteers,” he said, noting that volunteers are asked for a two-hour commitment, one day
each week. “It’s not a huge commitment and it’s very satisfying. These kids really appreciate the
time we spend with them.”
And so do their parents. “As a parent of four children, this program has been a tremendous
asset,” said Maria Feaster, who currently has three children enrolled in the program. “It not only
helps my children with their homework and provides them with academic enrichment, but it also
provides them with a safe place to spend after school and during the summer months.”
In June, the Harriet Tubman Academic Skills Program received a two-year funding commitment
totaling $40,000 from the Dyson Foundation, representing an increase over previous years’
funding. Nonetheless, Olah pointed out that the program is “always hustling for money” to
maintain its modest nearly $60,000 annual budget, with most of the funding paying for HTASP’s
four part-time employees.
Established in 1957, the Dyson Foundation is a private, family-directed grantmaking foundation
led by Robert R. Dyson, who has served as the Foundation’s President since 2000.
Headquartered in Millbrook, the Foundation awards grants through a diverse regional funding
program serving the Mid-Hudson Valley. The Foundation’s assets stand at approximately $337
million and, in 2006, it awarded grants in excess of $18.4 million.
For more information about HTASP, contact Christine Arnfield at 845-473-0141.
For more information about this press release, contact:
Christine Arnfield, HTASP, Program Director
845-473-0141
Joseph Olah, HTASP, Board Chairman
845-702-3760
Stephen Densmore, Press Liaison, Dyson Foundation
845-234-8713
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 2007
POUGHKEEPSIE--As its name implies, children enrolled in the Harriet Tubman Academic
Skills Program don’t play kick ball—they hit the books. And now, with help from a $40,000
grant from the Dyson Foundation, the surprisingly effective City of Poughkeepsie-based after
school program has much of the funding needed to continue to serve nearly 60 elementary
school-aged children for another two years.
“We seem to be the best kept secret in Dutchess County,” said Program Director Christine
Arnfield, who helped found the free after school and summer program 10 years ago. Since then,
Arnfield said, the program has consistently helped city children achieve better grades (and
superior scores on state-mandated tests) than their peers who do not attend the program by
focusing on the fundamentals of reading and homework.
“Our main goal here is to make sure that their homework is getting done and that it’s getting
done neatly,” Arnfield said of the non-profit program, which serves students (kindergarten
through sixth grade) who live in Poughkeepsie’s Tubman Terrace apartment complex, and, space
permitting, other children from the rest of the city.
Clinton Elementary School Teacher Kathleen Seyfert attested to HTASP’s successful track
record, pointing to the after school program’s unique ability to partner with teachers in her
neighborhood-based elementary school over the years.
“This program has been a tremendous asset to the children enrolled in the Poughkeepsie School
District,” said Seyfert, a fifth grade teacher. “Mrs. Arnfield and her staff worked closely with me
in preparing my students for the new social studies standardized test. As a result, my students
scored very well, and continue to score higher than those not enrolled in the program.”
Joseph Olah, chairman of the HTASP’s board of directors, said the program relies heavily upon
community volunteers to help children complete and comprehend their homework. Along with a
program director and three teachers (all part-time employees), Olah said, the program utilizes up
to 40 volunteers to accomplish its mission.
Volunteers hail from every corner of the community, including parents, retirees, Vassar and
Marist college students, IBM employees, and congregants from area churches. (Two local
churches jointly own Tubman Terrace—the Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church and AME
Zion Church.) But, Olah stressed, the after school program always needs more volunteers in
order to provide the individual attention that makes it so effective. “We have a drastic need for
more volunteers,” he said, noting that volunteers are asked for a two-hour commitment, one day
each week. “It’s not a huge commitment and it’s very satisfying. These kids really appreciate the
time we spend with them.”
And so do their parents. “As a parent of four children, this program has been a tremendous
asset,” said Maria Feaster, who currently has three children enrolled in the program. “It not only
helps my children with their homework and provides them with academic enrichment, but it also
provides them with a safe place to spend after school and during the summer months.”
In June, the Harriet Tubman Academic Skills Program received a two-year funding commitment
totaling $40,000 from the Dyson Foundation, representing an increase over previous years’
funding. Nonetheless, Olah pointed out that the program is “always hustling for money” to
maintain its modest nearly $60,000 annual budget, with most of the funding paying for HTASP’s
four part-time employees.
Established in 1957, the Dyson Foundation is a private, family-directed grantmaking foundation
led by Robert R. Dyson, who has served as the Foundation’s President since 2000.
Headquartered in Millbrook, the Foundation awards grants through a diverse regional funding
program serving the Mid-Hudson Valley. The Foundation’s assets stand at approximately $337
million and, in 2006, it awarded grants in excess of $18.4 million.
For more information about HTASP, contact Christine Arnfield at 845-473-0141.
For more information about this press release, contact:
Christine Arnfield, HTASP, Program Director
845-473-0141
Joseph Olah, HTASP, Board Chairman
845-702-3760
Stephen Densmore, Press Liaison, Dyson Foundation
845-234-8713
