Current Status:
Name: Sonia Toledo
Nickname: FB_1387286087
Member since: 2010-01-13 01:30:06
Website URL: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1387286087
About me: For the past 25 years, Sonia M. Toledo has worked in the after-school field building quality programming for students in elementary through high school during their "out-of-school" time. Sonia spent her first 10 years as a hands-on director of Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA, and Children's Aid Society. She discovered that having an impact on young people's sense of worth and self-confidence made a difference in their future successes. In 1995, she created a workshop for after-school staff focused on building children's self-esteem. Her career in youth development took off, as she became more involved in training and advocacy on a state and a national level. From conception to institutionalization, Sonia has contributed to the creation of grass-roots projects for not-for-profit organizations and public schools. As former President of the New York State School Age Care Coalition (NYSSACC), she spearheaded a strategic plan with the Board of Directors to bring the organization to the next level of institutionalization, creating statewide infrastructure to support building quality after-school programs and enhancing professionalism in the field. In 1998, she became a National Endorser for the National AfterSchool Association, assessing programs and recommending them for accreditation. Today she is still endorsing after-school programs with the Council on Accreditation. During Sonia's nine years at Child Care, Inc., she streamlined and upgraded the school-age department to deliver nationally recognized standards and best practices to thousands of program directors and staff members of after-school programs throughout New York City. As a single mother of two sons, Sonia has faced the challenges of raising boys in New York City, and the experience has clarified and energized her passion for making a difference in the lives of whole families - not just children. Dignity of Children, Inc., was founded in 2008 with the vision of creating programs that would support families holistically. This vision acknowledges the fact that working with only a child still leaves a gap; children feel a more complete success when their families are included in programs. Therefore, Sonia's approach is to educate adults, parents, caregivers, and teachers, helping them to create environments for children that will make them feel emotionally safe and develop their self-worth.

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