District 79 awardHostos Community College received an award from the New York City Department of Education (DOE) District 79 in recognition of the College’s partnership with the Living for the Young Family Through Education (LYFE) program.  

LYFE, a DOE program, helps student-parents stay on track toward graduating from high school or completing their high school equivalency, as well as supporting their transition into parenthood by providing early childhood education for their children, supportive counseling, academic guidance and advocacy services. Hostos is a community partner of the program, working through its Empowering Student Parents (ESP) initiative to acquaint LYFE’s student-parents with the opportunities available for them at the College and within the CUNY system. ESP currently provides LYFE students with specialized campus tours, and soon the partnership will evolve to ensure LYFE student-parents who enroll at Hostos continue receiving supportive LYFE services, such as counseling and early childhood education for their children.

Fabián Wander, director of the Health and Wellness Center at Hostos, said the partnership is a natural fit.
“LYFE students are looking for a supportive college environment that understands the challenges experienced by many college student-parents, and ESP provides that supportive environment,” he explained. “We are extremely honored to be recognized by District 79 for our strong community partnership with LYFE.”   

The community partners selected to receive an award are stakeholders in the larger District 79 community who have demonstrated a commitment to supporting students and enhancing their scholastic involvement. Awards were presented on Wednesday, May 22, at District 79’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) appreciation banquet.

About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities for over half a century. Since 1968, Hostos has been a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs.

Hostos offers 28 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate secure transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 25 colleges.