Boys & Girls Harbor

Boys and Girls Harbor (formerly called Boys Harbor) is a multifaceted educational-oriented institution that provides a nurturing environment for boys and girls of all ages to learn and grow. Each year the institution aids over 4,000 children gain the necessary skills and confidence for long-standing success. The Charter school and its various other recreational and guidance programs are located in East and Central Harlem, New York, USA. Founded by Anthony Drexel Duke in 1937, as a summer camp in East Hampton, New York, Boys and Girls Harbor has grown into several programs that individually help carry out the school’s mission.

The Harbor was one of the first organizations to launch a charter school in the state of New York and has since then created programs that include pre-school, extended day tutoring, literacy training, substance abuse prevention, college preparation, workforce readiness, and a conservatory for the performing arts. Three-quarters of the students range from the ages of 6 to 17 and are 56% African-American, 35% Latino, and 9% from another heritage. The constituents average a general population of 53% male and 47% female. Most of the students live in East or Central Harlem (67%), however, 17% live in the Bronx, 6% live in Brooklyn, 5% live in Queens, and the remaining 5% live elsewhere in the tri-state area.

In order to become a part of the Boys and Girls Harbor community, children and parents must be willing and dedicated to uphold the necessary requirements to reap the benefits of such educational opportunities. The Mission of Boys and Girls Harbor is to empower children and their families to become full, productive, participants in society through education, cultural enrichment, and social services.

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Anthony Drexel Duke

• Anthony Drexel Duke, 1998. The History Project, Inc. Newsletter
  Anthony Drexel Duke, 1998. The History Project, Inc. Newsletter

The Founder and president of Boys and Girls Harbor is Anthony Drexel Duke. Anthony Drexel Duke attended St. Paul’s School, an elite New England preparatory school in Concord, New Hampshire, and graduated college from Princeton University in 1941. Duke started Boys and Girls Harbor in 1937, at the age of 19, as a summer camp for immigrant and disadvantaged boys. Recruiting friends and family as camp counselors, Duke believed that fresh air mixed with discipline and mutual respect would help discover these inner-city boys’ talents and potential. After three years (1935-1937) of orchestrating and planning this summer program, Duke and fellow St. Paul’s friends found a vacant campsite called Duck Island near Southampton, New York. Duck Island remained the site of “Boys Harbor” until Duke was commissioned in the U.S. Navy to fight in World War II in 1941. The camp reopened in 1947 in Connecticut at a place called “Lord’s Highway”; the camp migrated to several other locations until 1954 when East Hampton, New York became the camp’s permanent home.

In 1963, Anthony Drexel Duke acquired a townhouse on East 94th Street in New York City to create a year-round center in the city for the Harbor children. The 1960’s through the1970’s were a time of rapid growth for Boys and Girls Harbor; the institution upgraded to the former Heckscher Building at 104th Street and Fifth Avenue (Boys and Girls Harbor’s present-day home) to accommodate the expanding number of programs, participants, and staff. Also, the institution became fully coeducational and extended its mission to performing arts programs, day care for preschoolers, and drug and alcohol prevention classes.

Since the starting days of Boys and Girls Harbor, Anthony Drexel Duke has selflessly dedicated his life to the mission he created back in 1937: “to empower the lives of inner-city young people, helping them overcome adversity as they achieve their creative, intellectual, and economic dreams.” His goal of properly educating the youth of America and giving children an opportunity to actively participate in society is still successfully being achieved to this day.

“My feeling is that if we’re going to preserve our democracy, we can’t have so many people falling through the cracks. We’ve got to give them their desserts, which is not just respect, it’s a good education.” – Anthony Drexel Duke

Boys and Girls Harbor Today

Thanks to many generous funders and a talented staff, Boys and Girls Harbor prepares our next generation by expanding into six main programs designed to facilitate the Harbor’s mission and fully prepare the students for participation in society.

-NAEYC accredited Pre-School and After-School and Summer Educational Services

-The Harbor Science and Arts Charter School

-Emily N. Carey School

-The Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts

-The Harbor Literacy Center

-Harbor Social Services, Genesis Program, and Harbor Family Horizons

Current Boys and Girls Harbor Locations in New York City

- One East 104th Street (main facility)- Charter School, High School, Performing Arts Conservatory, Preschool, Universal Pre-Kindergarten, After-School and Summer Programs, Behavioral Health Services, and the Literacy Center.

- 1330 Fifth Avenue- Harbor Family Horizons Preschool, Universal Pre-Kindergarten, and Family Horizons Center.

- 1299 Amsterdam Avenue- Grant Day Care, Preschool, Universal Pre-Kindergarten, and After-School and Summer Programs.

- 311 West 120th Street- Harbor Morningside Children's Center, Preschool, Universal Pre-Kindergarten, and After-School and Summer Programs.

- 2211 First Avenue- Harbor Oasis Preschool and Universal Pre-Kindergarten

External Links

Boys and Girls Harbor Official Wesbsite