The Side Street Kids:
A Place Where Tomorrow’s Leaders Take Their First Steps

They say that our future is our kids. They also say that our children are the seeds for our future. If they are to bear fruit then we should look out, protect and guide then. Well guess what? Many people do the talk, but very few can actually do the walk. People talk about taking care of our kids, but few ever do. Even less know what to do with them if they ever found the time to look out for them. The Side Street Kids is an organization that does more than just say, THEY DO. The Directors of The Side Street Dance Academy not only "DO THE TALK", they also have proven to me that they can "DO THE WALK" too. Thank God they are not alone. Other studios like David Melendez's Starlite Kids and the L.A. Salsa Kids also have similar functions, but in my opinion they are way too few of them to go around.

There should be a hundred more places like them around every major city and hopefully one day there will be. But for now its only a dream that a handful of dedicated people have made into a tiny reality. To help inform more people about the Side Street Kids Non-Profit Organization, I've taken the opportunity of publishing  their 1998/99 Information flyer. If you live in NY and are interested in taking your children to the Side Street Kids contact Carlos & Toni Mendoza at Tel: (718)595-1000. In the meantime please take the time to read what this wonderful organization has to offer our youth.
thanks for taking the time,

Sincerely,
Manny

Welcome to the Side Street Kids Dance Academy. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the material in this handout. It will inform you of our policies.

The Side Street Kids Dance Academy is a not for profit organization incorporated in 1997. Our mission is to empower youth with the necessary skills to understand and appreciate the importance of education, positive family interaction and enchanced cultural awareness through dance. Our primary sources of funding are tuition payments, on-going fund rasiers and private donations.

Staff Members
Carlos Mendoza - Executive Director
Toni Mendoza - Managing Director
Carmen Abadia - Program Administrator
Jamilet Colon - Instructor
Izaline Skerrette - Instructor
Nina Valentin - Instructor
Walter Peterson - Instructor
Damaris Perez - Instructor
Jocelyn Perez - Instructor
Judy Moreno - Instructor

Tuition:
Tuition of $25 per month, with a one time $5 registration fee, will be payable as follows
September 5th ...$55
November 7th ...$50
January 2nd ...$50
March 6th        ...$50
May 1st        ...$50

If you have more than one paying student registered with us, you may be eligible for the family plan. Please ask our staff for details. Students with delinquent tuition will NOT be allowed to participate in SSK activities. Scholarship students will be allowed three excused absences. An excess of three will forfeit your scholarship however, you are welcome to continue as a paying student.

RETURNED CHECKS:
All checks should be made payable to the Side Street Kids. There will be a $10 fee, payable in cash, for all returned checks.

PRACTICE WEAR:
To ensure comfort and safety, practice wear is REQUIRED. These items can be purchased directly from us or from the vendor of your choice however, they must conform to the established color and dress code for the Side Street Kids. Payment in full is required for all purchases. 50% minimum deposit for any items that need to be ordered. Deadline for obtaining Practice Wear is October 3, 1998. The following price list is in effect:
Leotards: Adult - $16 Child - $13
Skirts: Adult - $16 Child - $13
Shoes: 1 1/2" heels - $27 2" heels - $34 Boys - $37
SSK T-shirts All sizes $10
Stockings: Adult - $9 Child - $6

COSTUMES
Costumes will be ordered on November 21, 1998. Any child that does not order a costume cannot participate in the year-end activities that include Picture Day, the Cuban and Puerto Rican Day Parades, the annual recital and any subsequent shows. Please approximate to spend $75 per child. We can facilitate you with a payment plan to help you meet this expense. Please see our program Administrator for details.

KID BROTHER - KID SISTER PROGRAMS
We are proud to announce our new Kid Brother - Kid Sister program. If your child would like to act as a mentor to one of our kids or you think that your child could benefit from the security of an older kid mentor, please seek out one of our Directors.

PARENTS MEETING
In an effort to promote dialogue between staff and parents, we will be scheluding several meeting throughout the course of the year to discuss your concerns. However, one need not wait for such a meeting in order to communicate with the staff. Please feel free to call us at any time to address any issues or concerns that may be affecting your child.

TOY DRIVE
It is in giving that we receive so very much. For this reason, along with many others, the Side Street Kids participate in an annual Christmas Toy Drive. Over the past two years we have donated over 500 toys to the NY Foundling Hospital and the Bronx Psychiatric Center for Children’s Services. Watch the SSK bulletin board for details. Help us bring some joy to a child this holiday season.

TIME OUT PROGRAM
Students who are not performing well in school will be restricted from participating in dance class until there is a significant improvement with school work. As this will effect tuition paid, Time-Out must be approved by the SSK Directors before it is granted.

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
The Side Street Kids Dance Academy will be closed on the following days:
November 28th, 1998
Decmber 26th, 1998
May 29th, 1999

ADULT CHA-CHA CLASS
Tuition of $25 per month, $40 for couples and the option of $10 per class. An annual $5 registration fee is donated to the SSK. For more info speak to Walter Peterson or Mimi Flecha.

MORE THAN DANCE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
This selection criteria is as follows:
%50 Academic Achievement; Report cards are reviewed from October to May. Recipients are determined by June 1st. (3 report card Minimum)
%25 SSK Participation; Attendance, punctuality, attitude, class preparedness and participation in the SSK activities.
%15 Family Participation; Commitment to family values.
%10 Community Involvement; Positive role model and service to others within the community. (Example: volunteer work, tutoring, etc.)

FUNDRAISER ACTIVITIES
The Side Street Kids are committed to serving our community with a quality program, while keeping your expenses at a minimal level. We accomplish this by raising funds in any and every way imaginable. All proceeds received throughout the year go back into the program. The following three dates are our major fundrasing activities for the coming year. Please plan to attend. Your support is critical to our success:
Friday, November 27th, 1998 - 60's BASH
Sunday, Decembeer 13, 1998 - SSK Children’s Christmas Party
Saturday, March 6th, 1999 - Black & White Ball

DATES TO REMEMBER
09/12 - First day of class
11/14 - Justice for Our Children Fund Raiser
11/21 - Costume Money Due
11/27 - 60's Bash
11/28 - No Class
12/13 - SSK Christmas Party
12/26 - No Class
03/06 - Black & White Ball
04/10 - Picture Day
05/02 - Cuban Day Parade
05/29 - No Class
06/13 - PR Day Parade
06/00 - Recital Stage Rehearsal TBA
06/26 - Recital
08/07 - SSK Annual Pinic (Rain Date 08/14)
09/04 - Registration Day

Directions to Side Street Kids Dance Academy
By train: Take the 6 train to the Castle Hill Ave. Stop. Exit the station and walk 2 blocks west to Union Port Road. Make a right onto Union Port Road. The Academy address is 1310 Union Port Road (located next to the Up & Down Club).
By car: take the Bruckner Expressway to the White Plains/Castle Hill exit. Stay on the service road and past the first light (White Plains). On the second light make a left onto Castle Hill. Take Castle Hill to Westchester Ave. (elevated 6 train runs over it) and make a left. Go 2 blocks to Union Port Road and make a right. The Academy is located directly next to the Up & Down Club and across the street from the Ortiz Funeral Home.