Support The Aster Initiative's Mission

FUN | STRUCTURAL | EDUCATIONAL

Our immediate work is centered around summer and after-school for children ages of 3K  to 12th grade. These are critical years in childhood development. The impact of the pandemic has disproportionately affected small to large-sized household income making it even more difficult to access extra curricula support for children during parent work hours. This has led to significant systemic disadvantages in professional growth opportunities for minorities, shortage of women in the workforce and increased violence in communities of color.  Adequate and guided extracurricular activities would impact the trajectory of many of our youngest and brightest children while families who must work can work. 

We incorporate multiple philosophies into our program such as Bank Street, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia. The Aster Initiative program is designed for students 3K through 5th grade offering a multitude of extracurricular activities and ultimately being an extension of the classroom. Students continue to grow, learn and have fun while attending our program.

The program’s core values are based on the following beliefs:

• All adults contributing to student’s development should model the behaviors which reflect positive values.
• Students learn best when they are guided to have a deeper understanding about the people and world around them.
• Instilling a love of learning creates a pathway to lifelong learning.
• Students thrive best in communities that promote collaboration, diversity, and respect for the lives of others.

The Katmint Learning Initiative was founded in 2013 by two parents who saw the desperate need for a preschool alternative for families in the Bedford –Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn that offered quality enrichment, flexibility to compliment the complex work schedules of parents in NYC and affordability to ensure that everyone can have the opportunity to give their children something better. Kamint has always felt that our work is never over, and we wanted to feel a sense of continuation even long after our students would graduate from our school. We began offering after school pick up services in 2014 which lead us to the opportunity to be in public schools to offer our unique programming on a larger scale. Our mission is to take this highly effective and successful program to schools in our community and beyond.

Our program is offered to elementary school students 3k through 12th grade. It is generally organized with learning objectives and enrichment programming in mind. The curriculum is used as a guide to expand and extend student’s learning. Independence skills, academic skills, and social interactions, are all primary components of the curriculum. These skills are honed through hands-on experiences in the following areas including but not limited to:

• Arts & Crafts
• Dance
• Music
• Spanish and French
• Capoeira
• Homework Assistance
• Tutoring Services

This year's summer will begin as of July 9th 2024 through August 23rd 2024. We focused last year on community and world around us. This year we will be taking a deeper dive into the city we call home. This means exploring as much of it as possible, going through the boroughs and all of the wonders they have to offer in terms of learning about the relationship between sea and land, the architecture, the history, and more. In conjunction with this, with the summer olympic games in paris our youngest athletes will practice their skills in a series of  Aster  Olympic games tailored to their age and interests. Students should be ready to expand their horizons in a number of different ways! Our 7-week program will include  S.T.E.A.M, gardening, yoga, dance, culinary experiences, community explorations, mindful games, and of course field trips.

Field Day Fridays: 

On Fridays, Aster’s Campers will experience Field Day from 9am-11am. 

Each Friday parents are responsible to pack a cold lunch and water bottle for their child so that students can enjoy the morning at the park. 

Field Day consists of the following activities: 

• Relay races/track and field, water play, potato sack race, soccer, egg/water balloon and spoon race, tennis, water balloon toss, obstacle courses (materials to be gathered), baseball, jump rope, hop-scotch, basketball, scavenger hunt (with water balloons), tie-dye (t-shirts)

When there is inclement weather,  Aster  teachers will create a fun obstacle course in the classroom plus music and dancing for our students.

Lunch & Snack: 

Over the summer, parents must provide lunch and snacks.    

 Aster  T-shirt: We will be sending out a separate email requesting shirt sizes. 1 Shirt free. Shirts available for purchase on Monday 6/26/2024. Camp shirt will be available for pick up on 7/9/24.

Orientation is Scheduled for June 20th 2024 at 1pm. Zoom to be shared after completing registration.

Location of summer camp will be held at PS 137 121 Saratoga Ave, Bklyn 11233.

Help us raise awareness about our cause by sharing our mission with your friends and family. Follow us on social media and invite others to join our community.

Collaborate with us to make a greater impact. We welcome partnerships with businesses, organizations, and individuals who share our values and goals.

Join us for our upcoming events and help us raise funds and awareness for our cause. From charity walks to benefit concerts, there's something for everyone.