Jingle Bells Ring for the

Backstretch Families! 

The Belmont Child Care Association, Inc. (BCCA) annually hosts a Holiday Shopping Day for all of the families of backstretch workers at Belmont Park and Aqueduct Race Track. This year, BCCA held its event on Saturday, December 3rd in the clubhouse at Belmont Park. The Belmont Café was transformed into a Winter Wonderland which included a Sugar Plum Café and Holiday Shop. Thanks to the New York Racing Association (NYRA), BCCA was provided with a beautiful venue to host its event and NYRA’s facilities and security departments provided much needed support on all levels.

This year, 500 children were escorted by elves who assisted them as they chose presents for themselves and for everyone in their families. Over 100 volunteers dressed as elves and assisted the children while they shopped. Other elves helped to select merchandise for the Holiday Shop and personally baked treats for the Sugarplum Café. Our children met elves at the wrapping station where they watched while their gifts were wrapped and labeled.

The shopping experience was complete when they stopped to visit Santa in the Reindeer Court. Santa was assisted by elves as the children received candy canes, took photos, and told Santa what was on their wish list. The day was filled with smiling faces as the children and elves sang along with the carols playing in the lobby and in the shop.

This event day was made possible thanks to the incredibly generosity of donors who participated in BCCA’s call-to-action at its annual Racing for the Children dinner and auction, held each year in Saratoga Springs in late August. The funds raised that evening were used to purchase new coats, vests, sweaters, robes, kitchen appliances, beauty accessories, and tool boxes, to name a few. BCCA received donations of new toys thanks to a new partnership with Jazwares Inc. through their philanthropic arm, Jazwares Cares, in addition to donations from the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Foundation with whom BCCA has shared a long-lasting partnership.

BCCA’s volunteers are essential to the success of the event beginning with the planning stage, set-up day, day of event operations, and clean up and break down. BCCA recognizes all its volunteers from the Thoroughbred racing industry and its bountiful group of volunteers from the National Charity League – Garden City, NY Chapter.

This year, as BCCA celebrates 20 years of providing an early childhood education and development program for children year-round at Anna House and during the summer race meet at Faith’s House at Saratoga Race Course, BCCA is grateful to our donors for their incredible support of our most important programs. The generosity of our donors allows us to fulfill our commitment to the families of the backstretch workers with the knowledge that their children will receive a great start toward a better future. You really can’t put a price on giving a child a great start in life and a gift of any size matters.

We invite you to Think BIG for BCCA because when we come together, we can make a great impact on the lives of our children and their families!

Thoroughbred Daily News, December 12, 2022

Congratulations to Jonathan Estrada,

BCCA's first graduate,

for his achievement in winning the

Newcomer Award, sponsored by NYRA, at the

Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards.

Pictured: Jonathan Estrada with his mother, Tammy Edwards.

Jonathan is currently working as a groom for '

New York Trainer David Donk. 

He has always been an advocate for the

backstretch workers and for the sport of Thoroughbred racing. 

BCCA is so very proud to recognize him for his accomplishments!

Summer Fun at Faith’s House!

As another wonderful and exciting Summer at Faith's House comes to a close, BCCA is proud to announce that we were near capacity in our 2nd year open!

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.

Faith's House has completed our dream of providing our children with an educational and academically inspiring program during the Summer race meet in Saratoga and year-round at Anna House at Belmont Park.

BCCA thanks our supporters for their generosity which helps us to continue changing lives at the racetrack every day!

BCCA Partners with Saratoga Performing Arts Center!

This Summer, BCCA was thrilled to establish a partnership with Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) to offer exciting opportunities for our families at Faith’s House and on the backstretch at Saratoga Race Course.

Our families were provided access to experience The Philadelphia Orchestra’s performance of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and the Princess Bride! SPAC provided our families with amphitheater and lawn seating, meal and snack vouchers, and transportation to and from.

BCCA looks forward to continuing our partnership with SPAC and providing these invaluable experiences to the backstretch families for years to come!

You Can’t Put a Price on Giving a Child a Great Start in Life

Change the first five years of a child’s life and you change everything! BCCA’s tag line and a familiar phrase we’ve all grown accustomed to seeing in public ads for local childcare centers and private schools.

What makes BCCA so unique is that we are changing lives at the racetrack every day. For the past 20 years, we’ve provided a state-of-the-art childcare center, Anna House, at Belmont Park, which is open 365 days a year and offers a STEAM-based curriculum for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years old. Last year, we opened Faith’s House at Saratoga Race Course which fulfilled our dream of providing a year-round program at Belmont Park and a summer program at Saratoga.

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

Following graduation from Anna House at age 5, our students are prepared to enter local public schools at the same level as or above their peers. For years, we asked ourselves the question: What happens to these children when their parents still need to arrive at the barns at 5 am? How do they get to school and how does this effect the work schedules of their parents?

BCCA heard the call-to-action and, thanks to grant funding, our school-age program was created to offer our kids and their families a place to come in the early morning hours before school and after school for enrichment and tutoring. We arranged for local school bus transportation and we expanded our programs and licensed two classrooms to accommodate the need.

Each year, we have watched our budget increase due to the expansion of our programs and the rising need of providing scholarships for our children, which cost on average $1,300/month per child. The high cost of childcare is regularly reported and BCCA is affected by this with an annual buget of over $1 million to operate two child care centers. But we recognize that you really can’t put a price on giving a child a great start in life.

If you have horses running on the New York circuit, then you have backstretch workers who care for your horses who are likely members of our families. Our incredibly successful program has been life changing and sustained for many years thanks to the generous horsemen and women in our industry. BCCA seeks outside funding through family foundations, grants, individual and corporate donations, and special events.

Here's how you can help. Please consider a gift to BCCA.

On August 25th, BCCA will host its annual Racing for the Children dinner and auction, Over the Rainbow with BCCA, honoring Marc and Sheree Holiday, at Universal Preservation Hall, in downtown Saratoga Springs, NY, only two days before the Travers Stakes. We invite you to THINK BIG for BCCA because when we come together, we make a great impact on the lives of our children and their families.

Thoroughbred Daily News, July 26, 2022

Congratulations to Anna House’s 2022 Graduates! 

On June 21, BCCA celebrated Anna House Class of 2022 graduation. Graduates were presented with diplomas by BCCA Founder and Chairman Michael Dubb and BCCA President Libby Imperio in front of their proud families.

Following the ceremony, the children presented Michael Dubb with a special painting to commemorate BCCA’s 20 years of providing an early childhood education and development program year-round at Anna House. We thank all who attend, including loved ones and the following government officials: Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips, and Nassau County Legislators Carrié Solages and Laura Schaefer.

BCCA’s class of 2022 was generously gifted backpacks full of school supplies by Floral Park Memorial High School’s National Junior Honor Society to set them up for kindergarten in the Fall. We are so proud of all our graduates!

“Change the first five years of a child’s life and you change everything!” 

BCCA Celebrates Spring Fling!

BCCA recognized 2022 honoree, Junior League of Long Island, and 2021 honorees, Angela M. Jaggar, Ph.D. of the Angela and Scott Jaggar Foundation, and Erin King Sweeney of King Sweeney Strategies LLC, at our annual Spring Fling Hat Luncheon and Fashion Presentation which was hosted at the Garden City Hotel.

Spring Fling featured a fashion presentation by Neiman Marcus, a luxury raffle, and live auction. Thank you to all those who participated. Your support is tremendously appreciated!

Happy Mother’s Day!

We are so proud of our mothers in the BCCA’s Women’s Literacy Program! Established in 2016, the program works to engage the mothers of the children at Anna House with an opportunity to learn English and teach them the importance of reading with their children. These women are more confident and eager to communicate in English, exercising the skills they have learned with others. This program provides not only an academic environment for learning but a safe and supportive one for the mothers to discuss and work through issues they encounter in their daily lives. The Women’s Literacy Program has been so successful and has grown to welcome all women on the backstretch. This Mother’s Day, to thank these women for all that they do, BCCA gifted them the opportunity to pamper themselves with a gift card to a local salon!  

Easter at Anna House!

This year, the children of Anna House were gifted Easter baskets by the National Charity League - Garden City Chapter. BCCA and the children of Anna House send a special thank you to the National Charity League, one of our generous community partners. With the kindness of our supporters and community, BCCA can provide a safe and inspiring academic environment to change children’s lives!

Think BIG for BCCA!

This March, BCCA invited its supporters to Think BIG to celebrate 20 years! With your support, BCCA is committed to providing a safe, academically inspiring, and supportive environment for the children of the working parents of the Thoroughbred racing backstretch area at New York’s Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Saratoga Race Course. Donors helped us create full-year scholarships for students, cover monthly costs for infants, and helped fund our Playground Improvement Project at Anna House. Thank you to our supporters for helping us to mold young minds and encourage the fulfillment of dreams! Coming together can make a BIG impact on families and a child’s future because a gift of any size is a BIG deal!

BCCA spreads love for Valentine's Day!

This year, Anna House is celebrating 20 years of love and compassion for others! Students designed shirts with messages from the heart for the children of Ronald McDonald House Charities-New York Metro, an important community partner!

Also for this Valentine’s Day, BCCA supporters received beautiful and specially designed tinnies with a nautical alphabet message, CHILDREN, with a $75 donation. The commitment and generosity of BCCA’s supporters allows us to assure the backstretch workers that their children are receiving a great early childhood education with a curriculum that teaches the importance of philanthropy and giving back!

Anna House Celebrates 20 Years!

This year, BCCA is celebrating 20 years of providing an early childhood education and development program for children year-round at Anna House located at Belmont Park. BCCA welcomed Faith’s House to the family last year and it is open for the Summer race meet at Saratoga Race Course. The children we serve are the sons and daughters of the New York Thoroughbred racing backstretch workers at Belmont Park, Aqueduct Race Track, and Saratoga Race Course. We provide quality child care for children between the ages of 6 weeks to 5 years old, opening our doors at 5 a.m. so working parents can get to the barns on time. We also offer after-school tutoring and enrichment programs, and before-school drop-off for elementary and middle school students at Anna House, making BCCA a continual resource for the children of our backstretch workers.