Children with relatives who are incarcerated now have a new option for keeping busy and learning this summer. 

School and summer break was hard enough on kids during the coronavirus pandemic, and it was even harder for kids with family members in prison or jail. 

Children of Promise is an organization that provides free programs to these kids with relatives behind bars. 

The organization started in Bed-Stuy and it just started this new program in the Bronx earlier this month.

In previous years, they focused the summer program on fun activities like being outdoors and arts and crafts. But this year because of COVID-19, they really wanted to implement classes like math and reading and hired Department of Education teachers to teach these classes. 

This is because some of the students felt they were behind on their schoolwork because of the pandemic, and they wanted to be all caught up when they start school in the fall.

According to the National Resource Center on Children and Families Incarcerated, around 150,000 children in New York state are impacted by parental incarceration. 

CPNYC’s mission is to help these kids and families get through difficult times.