BCCA Summer Carnival!

The BCCA Summer Carnival was a huge success! From cotton candy, popcorn, and hot dogs, to cornhole, face painting, and a magic show, there was something special for everyone to enjoy, regardless of age.

Sempre Fame BBQ assisted us in providing everyone with hot dogs, hamburgers, and all the fixings. We also provided hot, fresh-popped popcorn from a genuine old-school popcorn machine!

Mister Softee stopped by to supply delicious ice cream for everyone! Who can say no to soft serve with extra sprinkles? We sure can’t! And for those who don’t ‘scream for ice cream’, Ms. Joanne made sure there was a cookie and a cupcake at the ready. No-one left without dessert on her watch!

Some special guests made an appearance, including Rainbow Sprinkles, who masterfully painted our children’s faces into a wide array of designs.

Some of our school-age students had an impromptu cornhole tournament, while others assisted the younger students in practicing their throws. A few of our students even had their own dance party – we had to get the wiggles out somehow!

Each child received a unique summer fun basket, courtesy of the National Charity League – Garden City Chapter. We are so grateful for the mother-daughter teams that joined us to volunteer! The mother-daughter duos have served as after-school program tutors and mentors, and they have included project driven teams to provide much needed support to our students and their families.

Volunteers from the Hance Family Foundation joined us to provide our mothers and school-age children with giveaway cosmetic baskets, and small treats for our younger children. They were a huge hit! Visit @selfesteemrising on social media to learn more about their incredible program.

We can’t wait to see you all next summer!

pizza party with Mr. ken!

July is full of smiles here at Anna House! We were so fortunate to have another of our occasional pizza visits by Mr. Ken, otherwise known as Ken Adams, husband of our Executive Director, Joanne K. Adams.

Outside of his real job, Ken is a dedicated pizza baker, so the news that he’d be visiting was met with much excitement by our school-age kids!

Two kinds of pizza were on offer. First, Ken had our kitchen oven “ready to go” for two Detroit-style pies—think pizza meets focaccia, with a crazy caramelized edge to the crust. He used special pans and a steel slab, to ensure that crisp crust.

Then he set up shop outside Anne House and cranked out six 16-inch New Haven-style pies—think a crunchier, slightly charred version of a regular New York-style pie. It required a carload of gear, including an Ooni pizza oven, a cart for the oven, a folding steel table, three kinds of pizza peel, and two dough boxes. The ingredients were straightforward: dough balls he made two days ago, using organic high-gluten flour; a simple tomato sauce; and two kinds of mozzarella.

The kids observed the process—for Detroit-style pizza, adding yet more cheese cubes on top of a dough that already contained plenty of cheese, and adding stripes of tomato sauce after the pizza came out of the oven. For the other pies, he baked them first in a preheated 750°F Ooni oven with the flame off, then reignited the flame, and during both stages turned the pie regularly to ensure even baking.

The kids listened to Ken intently, and a good time was had by all, including BCCA staff, who swooped in to dispatch the extra pizzas after the kids had had their fill.

Joking aside, Ken’s visit was consistent with BCCA’s mission—to expose kids to the world of possibilities in even the most basic of activities.

Thank you Mr. Ken! We are so grateful for your incredible generosity and support.

You are the MVPP (Most Valuable Pizza Person)!

Congratulations to Anna House’s 2023 Graduates!

On June 20, BCCA celebrated the Anna House Class of 2023 graduation.

Graduates were presented with diplomas by BCCA Founder and Chairman Michael Dubb and BCCA President Libby Imperio in front of their proud families.

We were thrilled to recognize Xochilt, one of our first graduates, who received a BCCA college scholarship as she enters a five year program at Northeastern University to study civil engineering and architecture.

We are so grateful to be able to provide each graduate with backpacks full of school supplies to set them up for kindergarten in the Fall. We are so proud of all our graduates!

“Change the first five years of a child’s life and you change everything!” 

BCCA Celebrates Spring Fling!

BCCA recognized 2023 Thoroughbred Industry Honoree, Maggie Wolfendale-Morley, and 2023 Community Honoree, Joan Hope MacNaughton, at our annual Spring Fling Hat Luncheon and Fashion Show which was hosted at the Garden City Hotel.

Spring Fling featured a fashion show by J.McLaughlin, a luxury raffle, and a live and silent auction. Thank you to all those who participated. Your support is tremendously appreciated!

NYRA Trophy Presentation in the Winner’s Circle!

BCCA Celebrates the Anna House Class of 2023!

Daniel and Mariapaz were so excited to get an up-close look at the race!

Our 2023 Spring Fling Thoroughbred Industry Honoree, Maggie Wolfendale-Morley, took a break from her on-air commitment to interview Daniel and Mariapaz.

Andy Serling, TV Analyst and Handicapper for the New York Racing Association, stopped by the Winner’s Circle to take a photo and send his best wishes to our graduates!

David O’Rourke, President & CEO of NYRA, was two thumbs up for our children!

2023 Kentucky Derby Winner and Hall of Fame Jockey

Javier Castellano visited us at Anna House!

BCCA is proud to welcome Javier as the newest member of our Board of Directors

and we wish him the best of luck in the upcoming Preakness Stakes!

Our students were so excited to meet him that they gave him

a surprise performance of the Anna House song.

Javier sat down with our K-prep students to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

Our doctors-in-training put on their white coats to give Javier

a complete checkup to ensure his readiness for the Preakness Stakes

and he in return presented them with their very own pair of goggles!

Javier Castellano is one of only two jockeys to win four consecutive Eclipse Awards.

He set the single-year record for purse earnings and has won 12 Breeders’ Cup races, three Triple Crown events, and a record six editions of the Travers Stakes. Castellano’s remarkable story and run of dominance in American racing during his career is unparalleled.

He has risen to heights few have ever achieved in the saddle and has done it while remaining humble and being one of the sport’s best ambassadors.  

Excerpt from The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

Project Playground with the JLLI!

On April 1, BCCA was honored to welcome our long-standing community partners, The Junior League of Long Island (JLLI), to Anna House. Members of the JLLI joined us and assisted with the installation of new playground equipment, tidying up the garden and outdoor space, and painting, as part of their Project Playground Initiative.

Photo by Ed Shin.

“We are proud to partner with BCCA to cultivate our signature project: Project Playground in conjunction with Anna House. This community partnership emphasizes the importance of safe spaces for children to learn and play. Playgrounds and early childhood play are the basis of imagination and teach our children the fundamentals of turning their creativity into reality,” said Cristine Bruno, current President of The Junior League of Long Island.

Photo by Ed Shin.

“Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA) is honored to have the Junior League of Long Island (JLLI) as a community partner as we work to change lives at the racetrack every day,” said BCCA’s Executive Director, Joanne K. Adams. “Our 2023 campaign, BCCA Blooms: Nourishing Mind · Nourishing Body · Nourishing Family, focuses on the importance of health and leading active lives. BCCA was thrilled to work with the JLLI on this much needed Playground Improvement Project and we are exceedingly grateful to them for their incredible generosity.”

Photo by Ed Shin.

Anna House has been focused on how to

Think BIG for BCCA this March!

It just takes one person to Be Transformative! and change a child’s life. We are so proud of our students as they have shown leadership skills and demonstrated what an asset they are to their community.

Here are a few examples of the awards our children have received recently! Joseph received a certificate for demonstrating the 5 C’s of Citizenship: Character, Confidence, Compassion, Courage and Creativity. Jose also received a certificate for his excellent work in third-grade math skills, while Stephens and Tonancy were both recipients of the Principal’s Honor Roll Award.

This year, BCCA is launching our new campaign BCCA Blooms: Nourishing Mind · Nourishing Body · Nourishing Family to help further our mission. Our goal is to Be Transformative! by changing the lives of our families through knowledge and by providing the proper tools for success. This year, we are focusing on the importance of establishing healthy eating habits, introducing new snack options to our children, and expanding our garden to provide more fresh fruit and vegetables for our families.

Our Children’s Gardening Program offers a multipurpose function during the Spring and Summer at Anna House. It is an outdoor classroom where our children learn about healthy eating habits and an opportunity for hands-on learning to experience nature and grow their own food. BCCA supports the entire family because our programs have proven to produce thriving, happy, healthy children who grow into healthy adults.

Our Women’s Literacy Program focuses not only on improving English and reading skills but provides an opportunity for the mothers of the children in our care to discuss and work through any issues they face in their daily lives. Our mothers discuss preventing health issues, the importance of dental care, and healthy eating habits.

A gift of ANY size matters because when we come together, we can make a great impact on the lives of our children and their families. Help us continue to Be Transformative! as we develop the mind of every child we meet.  

Happy Valentine’s Day from Anna House to your house!

We Heart the Ronald McDonald House!

Our community partners are of vital importance to BCCA! We love an opportunity to reinforce the importance of philanthropy and compassion. This year, our children created handmade cards with pop-up hearts for the young patients and their families at the Ronald McDonald House Charities - New York Metro. We are so grateful for the ability to teach our students about the importance of giving back to our community.

Storytimes and Sing-Alongs for Black History Month

In addition to learning about Martin Luther King Jr. and other prominent figures, our students have also read some of their favorite books written by black authors, including Change Sings by Amanda Gorman and Loren Long, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler.

Go Red for Women!

The mothers in our Women's Literacy Program are focused on Go Red for Women this month. Go Red for Women is the American Heart Association's women's initiative for heart health awareness. Our mothers learned about potential risk factors, ways to prevent health issues, and what signs to look out for.

Jingle Bells Ring for the

Backstretch Families! 

The Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA) annually hosts a Holiday Shopping Day for all of the families of backstretch workers at Belmont Park and Aqueduct Race Track. This year, BCCA held its event on Saturday, December 3rd in the clubhouse at Belmont Park. The Belmont Café was transformed into a Winter Wonderland which included a Sugar Plum Café and Holiday Shop. Thanks to the New York Racing Association (NYRA), BCCA was provided with a beautiful venue to host its event and NYRA’s facilities and security departments provided much needed support on all levels.

This year, 500 children were escorted by elves who assisted them as they chose presents for themselves and for everyone in their families. Over 100 volunteers dressed as elves and assisted the children while they shopped. Other elves helped to select merchandise for the Holiday Shop and personally baked treats for the Sugarplum Café. Our children met elves at the wrapping station where they watched while their gifts were wrapped and labeled.

The shopping experience was complete when they stopped to visit Santa in the Reindeer Court. Santa was assisted by elves as the children received candy canes, took photos, and told Santa what was on their wish list. The day was filled with smiling faces as the children and elves sang along with the carols playing in the lobby and in the shop.

This event day was made possible thanks to the incredibly generosity of donors who participated in BCCA’s call-to-action at its annual Racing for the Children dinner and auction, held each year in Saratoga Springs in late August. The funds raised that evening were used to purchase new coats, vests, sweaters, robes, kitchen appliances, beauty accessories, and tool boxes, to name a few. BCCA received donations of new toys thanks to a new partnership with Jazwares Inc. through their philanthropic arm, Jazwares Cares, in addition to donations from the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Foundation with whom BCCA has shared a long-lasting partnership.

BCCA’s volunteers are essential to the success of the event beginning with the planning stage, set-up day, day of event operations, and clean up and break down. BCCA recognizes all its volunteers from the Thoroughbred racing industry and its bountiful group of volunteers from the National Charity League – Garden City, NY Chapter.

This year, as BCCA celebrates 20 years of providing an early childhood education and development program for children year-round at Anna House and during the summer race meet at Faith’s House at Saratoga Race Course, BCCA is grateful to our donors for their incredible support of our most important programs. The generosity of our donors allows us to fulfill our commitment to the families of the backstretch workers with the knowledge that their children will receive a great start toward a better future. You really can’t put a price on giving a child a great start in life and a gift of any size matters.

We invite you to Think BIG for BCCA because when we come together, we can make a great impact on the lives of our children and their families!

Thoroughbred Daily News, December 12, 2022

Congratulations to Jonathan Estrada,

BCCA's first graduate,

for his achievement in winning the

Newcomer Award, sponsored by NYRA, at the

Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards.

Pictured: Jonathan Estrada with his mother, Tammy Edwards.

Jonathan is currently working as a groom for '

New York Trainer David Donk. 

He has always been an advocate for the

backstretch workers and for the sport of Thoroughbred racing. 

BCCA is so very proud to recognize him for his accomplishments!

Summer Fun at Faith’s House!

As another wonderful and exciting Summer at Faith's House comes to a close, BCCA is proud to announce that we were near capacity in our 2nd year open!

BCCA's mission is to provide a safe, supportive, and academically inspiring environment for the children of parents working in the Thoroughbred racing backstretch area located at New York’s historic Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Saratoga Race Course. We are committed to promoting early childhood education, molding young minds, and encouraging the fulfillment of dreams.

Faith's House has completed our dream of providing our children with an educational and academically inspiring program during the Summer race meet in Saratoga and year-round at Anna House at Belmont Park.

BCCA thanks our supporters for their generosity which helps us to continue changing lives at the racetrack every day!