BCCA Blooms: Nourishing Mind · Nourishing Body · Nourishing Family

Our one-of-a-kind organization is changing lives at the racetrack every day as we continue to expand our programs to better serve our families. Extraordinary Things Happen Here and our supporters help us to continue to Be Transformative! Last year, BCCA introduced our campaign BCCA Blooms: Nourishing Mind · Nourishing Body · Nourishing Family. This program focused on teaching our families the importance of healthy eating habits and introduced our children to different snack options in an age-appropriate way. We expanded our garden to allow for more fresh fruits and vegetables to be grown and distributed to our families. We aim to continuously change the lives of our children and their families through knowledge and providing the proper tools for success.

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Scholarship a Student

BCCA's mission is to provide a safe, supportive, and academically inspiring environment for the children of parents working in the Thoroughbred racing backstretch area located at New York's historic Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Saratoga Race Course. We are committed to promoting early childhood education, molding young minds, and encouraging the fulfillment of dreams.

Interested in changing the first five years of a child's life and helping us to continue to fulfill their dreams? Monthly tuition for full-time enrollment at Anna House is as follows:

Infants - $2,031

Toddler - $1,879

Pre-School - $1,721

School-Age - $1,684

Join BCCA and scholarship a student today!

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Gardening Program

BCCA's garden at Anna House serves as an outdoor classroom where children learn the importance of taking care of the earth and learning how to plant and grow vegetables, which they later snack on! The garden is also used for outdoor science, art, and movement classes!

Your donation will help us purchase seeds, plants, and gardening tools for Anna House and Faith's House! 

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Integrated Arts Program

BCCA's Integrated Arts Program has been a long-time favorite for all our children as it incorporates music, art, and dance classes.

Our music classes instill a love of learning music in our children from an early age which later encourages them to participate in the choir, band, or orchestra when they enter the local school system. Art classes teach our children about different mediums and provides them with a great way to express their feelings. Dance classes provide them with a fun way to stay active, express themselves, and practice discipline.

A donation will allow our children to express their feelings through all mediums of art!

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Annual Holiday Shopping for All the Children of the Backstretch

BCCA hosts an annual Holiday Shopping event where we create a winter wonderland with a Holiday Shop and Sugar Plum Café. Over 500 children from New York's Thoroughbred racing community "shop" with elves for presents for their relatives. Each item is new, and there is no money exchanged, as everything is either donated or purchased by BCCA with funds raised for Holiday Shopping.

The event was traditionally held at the Belmont Clubhouse, but this past year, BCCA moved the event to Anna House due to the Belmont Park multi-year renovation project. The move was costly, but necessary, and BCCA's expenses increased to ensure the holiday season was a magical one for the children and families of the backstretch. BCCA contracted with a professional tent company to erect a heated tent with lighting in our new school-age playground for our Holiday Shop. As we were unable to store the inventory and supplies in the Belmont Park Clubhouse, we rented a storage pod to safely house all items.

Your contribution will help to provide all the families of the backstretch with a Happy Holiday Season!

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Women's Literacy Program

BCCA's Women's Literacy Program was established with the goal of engaging the mothers of the children in our care with an opportunity to learn English while teaching them the importance of reading with their children. The program has proven to be successful, as we have noted positive changes in the mothers who participate in the program. They are more confident and eager to communicate with others in English, as they look forward to exercising the skills they have learned. The mothers who have participated in the program for an extended time have taken on leadership roles by acting as ambassadors for the program and encouraging other women in the backstretch and the outside community to attend the classes. The class is not only a place for them to learn English, but also a safe and supportive environment where they are given an opportunity to discuss and work through any issues they encounter in their daily lives.

Your contribution will help to empower our mothers and many women who work on the backstretch!

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