DREAM

DREAM is a nonprofit education organization serving children and families in East Harlem and the Bronx through public charter schools and community-based youth programs. Its network serves students from early childhood through high school, with additional postsecondary support for alumni. DREAM’s stated mission is to help young people recognize their potential and realize their dreams by investing in the whole child.

The organization’s educational approach, called the Grow the Whole Child model, brings together rigorous academics, social-emotional learning, health and wellness, and family and community engagement. DREAM describes its curriculum as critically conscious and designed to prepare students for success in school and beyond. Its schools provide academic instruction alongside mental health support, physical activity, and opportunities for students to build relationships and develop social and emotional skills.

DREAM also offers free afterschool and summer sports-based youth development programs. These programs connect play and teamwork with learning and personal development. The organization’s history describes this work as an extension of its original community baseball program, developed to address children’s educational and developmental needs beyond the playing field.

Family and community partnerships are part of DREAM’s model. The organization reports working with families through home visits, regular communication, and shared decision-making. It also describes providing support beyond the classroom, including food distributions, clothing drives, financial assistance, and case management. DREAM’s Legends program provides postsecondary support to alumni as they pursue education and career pathways.

DREAM began in East Harlem in 1991 as Harlem RBI. A group of volunteers turned an abandoned lot into baseball diamonds for neighborhood youth. The organization expanded from sports programming into afterschool and summer learning, and DREAM Charter School was founded in 2008. In 2017, Harlem RBI and DREAM Charter School adopted the shared name DREAM. The organization later expanded its school and youth-program work into the South Bronx.

DREAM’s work is guided by principles it calls its maxims, including “All Kids Can,” “DREAM is Family,” and “Teamwork Makes the DREAM Work.” The organization describes its culture as grounded in care, high expectations, teamwork, persistence, and joy. Its careers information says it invests in teacher compensation, coaching, and career growth, and identifies roles across teaching, school operations, social-emotional learning, mental health, and network support.