Carver Center, 5 Steps to Five Announce Partnership
Carver Center has been serving the Port Chester community for 75 years. 5 Steps to Five has been doing the same for just four. But they have a lot in common.
5 Steps to Five is the not-for-profit program started by a few Rye residents in 2014 to coach new parents in underserved families in Port Chester on ways to help their babies develop – starting at birth – improving their odds of succeeding in school and in life. In just four years – and almost all by word-of-mouth – more than 200 families have enrolled in the Saturday morning classes, which 5 Steps to Five runs at 17 Spring Street in Port Chester.
“Our relationship with Carver goes back to our founding, says 5 Steps to Five co-founder Kent Warner. “We held our first sessions in rooms Carver leases to Head Start. Then, in April 2017, Carver took over administration of our payroll. We met Carver’s management and the people in charge of program, fundraising and other activities. They’ve been extremely helpful.”
Under the leadership of Executive Director Joe Kwasniewski, Carver Center has gone through impressive expansion and strengthening. He sees the new partnership as an example of how the coming together of two like-minded entities can create shared values. “I am so thrilled that Carver Center has added 5 Steps to Five to its portfolio of mission-aligned partnerships,” he said. “Their program fills a vital community void that moves the dial on Carver Center’s mission of Building Brighter Futures for families in our community.”
Leanne Tormey EdD., Carver Center’s Chief Learning Officer, has been added to 5 Steps’ board of directors. “Leanne has taken a lead role on our Curriculum Committee,” said 5 Steps co-founder Allen Clark. “One of Leanne’s main assignments has been to help codify our weekly classes into a formal plan that could be turned over to another municipality or organization expressing interest in franchising what’s worked so well, so quickly in Port Chester.”
Clark added, “Despite our success in demonstrating the principles behind 5 Steps to Five, our program is still relatively unknown. Carver is well known. There is some real synergy here.”
Clark noted that, not only does Carver bring valuable management services to the table, 5 Steps to Five looks to Carver for its experience in not-for-profit marketing and community relations. “This is a classic win-win situation.”
