Red Hook Initiative (RHI), in partnership with NYC Kids RISE and a coalition of local philanthropists, on Sept. 30 announced a major investment in the futures of children living in Red Hook Houses.
Beginning Jan. 2026, every kindergartener residing in Red Hook Houses and enrolled in a New York City public school will receive a $1,000 contribution to their NYC Scholarship Account, a milestone for educational equity and long-term opportunity in Brooklyn.
Home to nearly 6,000 residents, Red Hook Houses is the borough’s largest public housing development and one of its most under-resourced communities.
"This investment is a down payment on the futures of Red Hook’s youngest learners,” Michael Partis, executive director at the Red Hook Initiative said in a statement. “It sends a clear message: We believe in you and your potential. By providing these resources early, we’re opening doors for children and families that have historically been left behind.”
This initiative, powered by community members, educators, donors and local leaders, aims not only to provide financial resources but also to lay the foundation for intergenerational wealth through accompanying financial literacy workshops. For many families in Red Hook, financial literacy has often felt like a distant, abstract concept — taught in theory but disconnected from day-to-day realities, according to the nonprofits. By putting $1,000 into each child’s account, students and their families now have a tangible stake they can build on, plan around, and use to imagine a different kind of future, they said.
Danielle Fludd, a parent of a Red Hook kindergartener, said the investment equates to possibility.
"She’s only just starting kindergarten, but knowing that she already has something waiting for her future gives her hope and confidence," Fludd said. "For me, as her mother, it means peace of mind. It means that when the time comes, she’ll have choices and opportunities I never had, and that her community stood behind her from the very beginning."
The Save for College Program has been designed to allow every part of a child’s community — from schools, to philanthropy, to local businesses, to civic organizations and places of worship — to come together to show support for their children and invest in their futures together, according to Debra-Ellen Glickstein, founding executive director of NYC Kids RISE.
"We all have a role to play to make sure our kids are set up for success," she said.
Get the latest local news delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon, for free!
© 2025 BKReader
