Ready for a new school year!

Happy Monday - We are so excited for the first full week of school!

Our students were thrilled to kick-off a new school year after their Summer of fun at Anna House.

BCCA continues to support our school-age students throughout the year, as they join us in the early morning before school, for after-school tutoring, on weekends, and during school breaks.

Our school-age students started school this week and were well prepared as they nurtured their love of reading by setting aside time to read each day at Anna House this Summer.

"Today a reader, tomorrow a leader!"

We are so proud of our students for their dedication to their education.

240 books!

Our children had the best time at the happiest place in Saratoga!

A special THANK YOU to our special guest readers

who joined us for Storytime at Faith's House this year!

Pictured: Andy Serling, NYRA Racing Analyst 

We can't wait to see you all next Summer!

Unleashing the Spirit of Competition

The Inaugural Anna House Olympic Games

As the summer sun blazed down, Anna House was abuzz with excitement and camaraderie. Our school-age students gathered for a special event that promised fun, teamwork, and a dash of friendly competition. This year, we kicked off our very first Anna House Olympic Games!

First up was the water relay race, and this event quickly became a favorite among the students. The relay involved passing a sponge filled with water between teammates while navigating a playful obstacle course. The relay showcased the kids' determination and creativity as they tried different strategies to minimize spills. The excitement was infectious as students raced through the course, occasionally slipping and sliding through puddles but always with huge smiles on their faces. It wasn’t just about winning but enjoying the summer fun and fostering teamwork.

The next event on our Olympic roster was the javelin throw. With a makeshift javelin crafted from pool noodles and duct tape, the students took their turns, demonstrating impressive focus and technique. Each participant channeled their inner Olympian, aiming for distance and accuracy.

The third event this week was the bean bag toss! This classic game added a new dimension of fun and challenge to our Olympic Games. Students took turns tossing bean bags into the Olympic Rings, testing both their aim and strategy. The bean bag toss was to be a delightful addition to our lineup, combining skill and laughter in equal measure. It was a fantastic display of precision and skill, and the cheers of encouragement from fellow students made the experience even more exhilarating. The God’s, the Polar Bears, the Tigers, and the Black Pikachu’s are fired up to take on the next event.

 The inaugural Anna House Olympic Games have been a wonderful success so far. Beyond the medals and scores, the true highlight has been seeing our students come together, cheering each other on, and deepening bonds that will last beyond the summer. The sense of community and the spirit of friendly competition have truly shone through in every event. Stay tuned for more updates and highlights from the Anna House Olympic Games.

Summer Fun in the sun!

Our families enjoyed our 2024 Summer Carnival today as we welcomed EJ’s PJ’s and Kerboomkidz to Anna House. Thank you to EJ’s PJ’s for the brand-new pajamas which were presented to every child in our program. Kerboomkidz led a dance fitness class before our picnic lunch.

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! We all ‘screamed for ice cream’!

We would like to extend an extra-special thank you to the National Charity League - Garden City Chapter for providing all the children of Anna House with these amazing Summer activity baskets! We're so grateful for your longtime support and partnership!

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.

BCCA presents the Anna House Class of 2024!

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

We would like to thank the following distinguished guests for joining us:

BCCA Board Member, Joan Hope MacNaughton, NYRA President and CEO, Dave O'Rourke, NYRA Executive Vice President, Glen Kozak, NYRA Community Affairs Manager, Robert Hines, as well as representatives from the Backstretch Employee Service Team, New York Race Track Chaplaincy, and the Office of the Nassau County Executive.

We look forward to seeing our graduates thrive in Kindergarten this Fall!

BCCA was proud to recognize Andres, Anna House Class of 2011, with a college scholarship. He plans to attend SUNY Purchase to pursue a degree in Communications and Marketing.

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NYRA Trophy Presentation in the Winner’s Circle!

BCCA was thrilled to have our 2024 Anna House graduates in the Winner’s Circle for the NYRA Trophy Presentation.

Anthony, Axel, Kennedy, and Victoria were so excited to get an up-close look at the race! They even got to snap a picture with jockeys Irad Ortiz., Jr., Trevor McCarthy, and Katie Davis.

Andy Serling, TV Analyst and Handicapper for the New York Racing Association, stopped by the Paddock to take a photo and send his best wishes to our graduates.

"Change the first five years of a child's life and you change everything!"

Hat’s Off to the 10th Annual Spring Fling Hat Luncheon

The Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA) hosted its annual Spring Fling Hat Luncheon and Fashion Presentation on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at The Garden City Hotel, 45 7th Street, Garden City, NY. Thanks to the generous sponsors, donors, guests, and volunteers, the 2024 Spring Fling was a record-breaking success!

The luncheon began with a cocktail reception featuring a two-tiered raffle and a luxury silent auction, followed by a seated luncheon. BCCA was proud to recognize Emmy award-winning actress, Susan Lucci, as its 2024 Community Honoree, and Cate Masterson, Director of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, as its 2024 Thoroughbred Industry Honoree, for their efforts in advancing the quality of life for the children and families of Anna House and Faith’s House and beyond.

Susan Lucci is a two-time Emmy award-winning actress, New York Times best-selling author, entrepreneur, and advocate for women's heart health as the American Heart Association's ambassador for the Go Red for Women movement. Lucci is best-known for her role as the most famous face in daytime television history, the beautiful Erica Kane on ABC-TV's, ALL MY CHILDREN. Susan received her first Emmy in 1999, and she was recently the recipient of the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmys broadcast, Primetime, Live on CBS.

Cate Masterson was appointed as Director of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2019 after serving as the Museum's Director of Development for three years. In her previous role at the museum, Masterson led development and sponsorship initiatives and held a key role in special events and racing industry outreach.

BCCA welcomed Emmy award-winning News 12 Long Island anchor, Antoinette Biordi, as the Celebrity Emcee and guests were treated to a fashion presentation by Neiman Marcus – Garden City throughout the luncheon. During the luncheon program, BCCA debuted its 2024 video, which highlights why Extraordinary Things Really Do Happen at Anna House and Faith's House!

BCCA surprised Joanne K. Adams as she celebrated her 10th anniversary as Executive Director of BCCA! There were smiles throughout the room as guests recognized her accomplishments.

Please visit our photo gallery for memories from our record-breaking 2024 Spring Fling!

BCCA Celebrates the 2024 Spring Art Show!

The Anna House Spring Art Show blew everyone away!

Each class utilized a different technique to highlight the diversity and beauty within artistic expression.

Our students learned about engineering and balance, practiced hand-eye coordination and dexterity, and applied the scientific method of trial and error. Most importantly, they had lots of fun!

Each school-age student created a self-portrait. As they discussed what makes them unique, they learned the correct proportions for themselves and discussed the differences between their features.

Lastly, each student added the most important part: bubble gum!

Our preschool class worked together on a very special dots project inspired by the work of

"The Princess of Polka Dots", Yayoi Kusama. BCCA is so proud of all our incredible student artists!

Check out the entire collection below.

Think big for bcca this march!

BCCA's early childhood education program provides an invaluable foundation for unparalleled success. Your donation directly supports initiatives that foster growth and empower future leaders.

Let’s follow Victoria, one of the students in our K-Prep class, and learn how she spends her day at Anna House.

She arrives bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for a brand-new day of learning. First up on the schedule is helping to set up stations for the day and practicing art skills at an easel.

Once everyone has arrived for the day, our K-prep group does their morning gathering routine: Welcome song, saying good morning to everyone, and then sitting down together for breakfast. This morning, they enjoyed cereal with milk and a clementine. If it was Victoria's choice, we would have blueberry muffins every morning!

After breakfast, each child chooses which small group activity they want to participate in: Art Studios, Math Counts, Science Rocks, and Language Works. Allowing our children to break out into smaller groups helps to foster their sense of autonomy. They are responsible for cleaning up their own station, including putting away finished items and washing hands.

Anthony and Victoria finished their Science Rocks activity faster than the rest of the group, so they decided to sit down and read together while waiting for everyone else to finish their work.
The entire class gathers together to practice letter formation and writing skills afterwords, which also improves their self-help skills.

Victoria jumped to the rescue - helping Ramon to zip up his coat correctly before leaving Anna House for the day!

Victoria embodied our Excellence value in our HEART principles by paying attention to the smallest details, noticing that Ramon had not zipped up his coat. Then, she demonstrated the Respect value by asking Ramon if he needed help. Finally, she showed excellent Teamwork skills by zipping up Ramon's coat while talking him through each step: lining up the zipper, then pulling it up. Ramon was empowered to feel confident putting on his coat alone next time.

Happy Valentine's Day from BCCA!

Teaching our students the importance of giving back is a vital part of our curriculum. Extraordinary things happen here because we believe that every child is capable of being extraordinary every day!

Our annual Valentine's Day tradition at Anna House is to create homemade cards for the children at the Ronald McDonald House - New York Metro. This year, our students also shared the love with St. Mary's Hospital for Children.

Our child care provider, Bright Horizons, utilizes the HEART principles of Honesty, Excellence, Accountability, Respect, and Teamwork to guide us in the work we do every day. Our HEART principles are the foundation of our culture and how we interact with one another. It is through our Valentine's Day cards that BCCA reinforces how essential it is to be respectful and compassionate towards everyone around you.

BCCA is so grateful for the long-standing partnership we have with the Ronald McDonald House Charities and we welcome our new partnership with St. Mary's Hospital for Children.

Help us continue to Think BIG for BCCA by making your donation today!

Little Chefs: Lots of Nutrition

Our students have had the best time over the last few months with our Little Chefs program! Each week, a new recipe is selected for Anna House, and our children work together to perfect it.

The program kicked off with cream cheese roll-ups: each student cut their tortilla into four equal pieces, spread cream cheese in an even layer, then topped it off with raisins and ground cinnamon, before rolling it into a log.

The next week, Victoria is pictured here mixing together the batter for apple cinnamon oatmeal breakfast bars. With large chunks of fresh, ripe apples, a hint of sweetness from the honey and cinnamon, and the crunch of whole-grain oats, they were a hearty winter treat.

Perhaps the most popular recipe so far, last week’s stuffed peppers were a big hit! Each class practiced their chopping skills, spread on marinara sauce, and added as much cheese and pepperoni as their stomach’s desired. Our infant class demonstrated excellent dexterity and improvement in their fine motor skills, spilling very little cheese on the ground!

Our school-age group’s only complaint was that there were not enough for seconds! They all agreed that this is a recipe they are excited to share with their families and make at home. While enjoying their pizzas, the class made a list of possible toppings to add for next time.

Our most recent culinary adventure was avocado toast. This week’s topic of discussion was how small swaps can increase nutrition tremendously, like the type of bread you use. They also talked about the different kinds of fats, and how avocado is a type of healthy fat that helps your body.

BCCA Blooms as we focus on the importance of establishing and maintaining healthy eating habits, to continue our goal of Nourishing Mind · Nourishing Body · Nourishing Family.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ANNA HOUSE TO YOUR HOUSE!

Cookies with Santa

BCCA is grateful to Lt. Triolo of NYRA Security for reprising his role as Santa and surprising all the children at Anna House at our annual Cookies with Santa! Each year, our children write letters to Santa.

Special thanks to Northwell Health for partnering with BCCA to complete each child's wish list!

The team at Northwell Health shopped, wrapped, and delivered presents for each child.

We are so grateful for this incredible partnership!

This year, Santa stopped to read one of his favorite stories, Cookies with Santa!

Jingle Bells Ring for the Backstretch Families!

BCCA was thrilled to host our Annual Holiday Shopping event this year on Saturday, December 2 at Anna House! Our center was transformed into a Winter Wonderland which included a Sugar Plum Cafe and Holiday Shop. Over 300 children from the backstretch families of Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack lined up to “shop” for their relatives. Numerous volunteers from the local community acted as “elves” taking each child around to pick out the perfect gift.

Thank you to one of our most dedicated Christmas elves, Nick Caras, for driving the families and volunteers to and from Anna House and the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) for donating the NYRA shuttle for the event. A special thank you to Lt. Triolo for reprising his role as Santa!

This cherished event would not be possible without our generous supporters and BCCA would like to extend an extra special thank you to the following organizations who helped us spread the Christmas cheer: NYRA, USMC Toys for Tots, Northwell Health, Jazwares Cares, National Charity League, Inc. (Garden City Chapter), and Floral Park Memorial National Honor Society.

Celebrating our Women's Literacy Program

BCCA is grateful for the women in our community to dedicating themselves to improve their English. To kick-off the holiday season, BCCA celebrated the women in our program with a trip to the ballet to see a very special performance of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center in New York City. Our mothers were joined by BCCA Executive Director, Joanne K. Adams.

BCCA hosted our mothers for a festive holiday luncheon at Anna House to cap off the season!

Be Transformative!

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.

HAppy thanksGIVING from anna house to your house!

BCCA is so grateful for our community partners, supporters, and friends. It is because of YOU that we were able to make this Thanksgiving a special one!

BCCA thanks the National Charity League - Garden City Chapter and the Junior League of Long Island for their partnership and generous donations of Thanksgiving bundles for our Anna House children, families, and staff!

BCCA celebrates Halloween with a

Fall Festival at Anna House!

Look who stopped by … Wednesday Addams!

BCCA was thrilled to welcome Northwell Health to Anna House to distribute

healthy and delicious treats to our children and their families!

Each family stopped to create a leaf with their child before heading home with their goodies.

Learning to express yourself through art is an important part of the curriculum here at Anna House and one of our favorite ways to do so is by decorating our classroom doors! Throughout the month of October, our students worked together to come up with a theme for their door and they were thrilled to finally reveal the finished project in the week leading up to Halloween.

Take a look below to see our 2023 Spooktacular Doors of Anna House!