New York City

In Cooperation With Community Mediation Services and Sesame Workshop. 

The Mayflower Hotel in Queens, New York, is one of the hotels around  the city that is accommodating hundreds of asylum seekers. The majority coming from Latin America, as well as Eastern Europe and Africa. It is also the only hotel where an Emergency Safe space for early age children exists.

The space in Mayflower hotel serves around  30 children  between ages 2-4 that lost their home and country and find in the space a stable routine, love and care, opportunity to connect with other  children and the ability to develop various social and emotional skills.

The hotel is being run by Community Mediation Services, where programs in mental health and family services are also being provided within the shelter. 

Early Starters is happy to cooperate with Community Mediation Services and Sesame Workshop in operating the early childhood safe space as long as there will be a need. 

The space is run by mothers who are residing in the hotel, who are from the same community and speak the language, and who have a background in education and working with children.  They are going through pre-program training with ESI staff, as well as have close accompaniment during the program in order to provide quality early childhood activities to the children of the hotel.