PCC History

The Children's Aid Society's record of developing new and innovative services in response to children's needs is uniquely reflected in the history of the Philip Coltoff Center at Greenwich Village. Starting in 1892, in a newly erected building designed by Calvert Vaux and located at 219 Sullivan Street, the Sullivan Street School (as it was called in those days) began as an industrial school, the forerunner of today's vocational schools. The Sullivan Street School offered children regular schoolwork in the morning, a hot meal for lunch, and classes in the afternoon and evening in "Manual Training", including cooking, woodworking, sewing, cobbling, book binding, and other trades.

In 1924, as the Lower West Side Center, we provided education and social services to the community. Later, the building housed a health school where immigrant mothers received vital instruction in the care of their children. In 1954, as the Morisini Boys Club, the Center offered a variety of sports and recreational activities to help keep young boys off the streets and out of trouble. Kindergarten classes were offered in our building in 1964 because public schools in the neighborhood were not required to offer this level of instruction. The center was called The Greenwich Village Center until it was re-dedicated as The Philip Coltoff Center at Greenwich Village in 2005.

The Children's Aid Society and the Philip Coltoff Center at Greenwich Village have consistently developed innovative programs, adding and modifying programming in response to the changing needs of the community.

Today, the Center's list of programs include Early Childhood and Nursery School classes, After-School instruction, Visual and Performing Arts classes, a children and teen acting company, unique children's programming in the Center's theater, sports and recreational activities and summer camp programs. Much of the Center's fundraising efforts are devoted to providing scholarships for children who would otherwise not have access to these programs.

Over the last century, the Philip Coltoff Center at Greenwich Village has had a rich and varied history, but its philosophy has remained unchanged. It continues to be dedicated to providing the highest quality programs designed to enrich the lives of children.Log:re-wrote certain passages. changed GVC name. - CWO
Re-wrote naming history - cwo