A Time for Children

Training Teens for Future Careers

In addition to the generous ongoing support of the Children’s Aid Society’s youth development services, A Time for Children’s Retail Readiness program provides employment and training on a revolving basis for groups of teens from Children’s Aid programs and centers.

Through A Time for Children’s unique on-the-job retail program, teen participants learn:

• Customer service
• Point-of-Sale systems
• Inventory management

…along with the job readiness and people skills they’ll need in today’s demanding retail environment.

Typical of program participants are Samantha, a 17 year old high school senior and Stanley, a 19 year old college freshman, both alumni of Children’s Aid’s Dunlevy Milbank center in East Harlem. Samantha, who is looking forward to a career in business, says that working in the store is “fantastic, lots of fun,” and that she’s “learning how to deal with people” while Stanley calls it a “great experience.”

With able and enthusiastic trainees like these behind the counter, it’s no surprise that local businesses have expressed interest in “hiring away” many of the retail program’s graduates. And that, say the store’s founders, is exactly what they hoped would happen.

The store is the brainchild of Margie Stern, who conceptualized the store and training program and brought it to life through the generous funding of Big Wood, a foundation supported by Michael and Margie Stern. Their generous donation of the store’s proceeds to Children’s Aid will support the agency’s youth development services.