Family Center
The Neighbors Link Family Center is a high energy hub for three main areas of learning: 1) parent education; 2) early childhood development and academic support for children; and 3) gateway for linking families to related community resources. Information about our Family Center programs is below. For more information, contact Stephanie Rosado, Family Center Director, at srosado@neighborslink.org or 914-661-6906.
The Family Center Philosophy:
- Parents are their child’s first teachers
- Bicultural children benefit from parenting that respects both cultures
- All children benefit from a community that includes, supports, and celebrates the values and culture of all families
The goals of the Family Center are:
- To support parents in preparing their children to be school-ready, excited to learn and able to reach their full potential;
- To close the achievement gap between immigrant children and their peers;
- To ensure all children graduate from high school and are college-bound or career-ready.
Family Center Programs
Parent Child Together (Adelante Juntos)
Our Parent-Child Together (Adelante Juntos) program is designed for parents with children from birth to age 4. The focus is on positive parenting skills, early childhood development and school readiness. In a group setting, parents are provided with facilitated peer-to-peer learning opportunities and parent education. Children classes are structured and include circle time, reading, music and movement, during which children learn colors, shapes, letters, numbers, and pre-literacy concepts that reflect age appropriate developmental milestones. Classes are two hours long and are offered in all three locations. To register, please contact Ana Vinansaca at 914-893-7320.
Mount Kisco
Mondays from 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm (0-4 years of age)
Thursdays from 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm (3 and 4 years of age only)
Fridays from 10am-12pm (0-4 years of age)
Ossining
Wednesdays from 1pm-3pm (0-4 years of age)
Yonkers
Tuesdays from 10am-12pm (0-4 years of age)
Learning Links
Our Learning Links after-school program provides rigorous academic support and enrichment to children of low-income families, onsite at the Mount Kisco Elementary School. The program runs Monday through Friday from 3pm-5pm from September through June. To register, please contact Beverliz Gillert at 914-752-3058.
Summer Links
Presented in partnership with Mount Kisco Elementary School, our Summer Links program focuses on academics including math, reading and writing, as well as enrichment activities for over 100 children of low-income families. The program runs for five weeks from end of June through end of July from Monday through Friday, 9am-12pm. Summer Links is open for all children within the Bedford Central School District. Registration opens in March. To register, please contact Beverliz Gillert at 914-752-3058.
Parents As Teachers Collaboration
Parents As Teachers (PAT) is an effective curriculum for parents of preschool children. Through this collaborative program with the Bedford Central School District, registered families receive weekly or biweekly one-on-one parent education, developmental information and support through personal home visits to promote the healthy development of children from pregnancy to kindergarten. Parent Educators utilize the nationally recognized and evidenced based home visiting Parents as TeachersTM model to deliver quality home-based early childhood education, developmentally age appropriate parent resources and effective child-parent interaction techniques. Families receive developmental screenings and are referred to early intervention services, internal programs and/or community resources, as needed. To qualify, families must live in the Bedford Central School District. For more information, please contact Stephanie Rosado, Family Center Director, at srosado@neighborslink.org or 914-661-6906.
Pipeline Scholars Program
The Pipeline Scholars Program is designed to help students with social-emotional or academic challenges and their parents make the transition from elementary to middle school and high school. The families involved have all agreed to be guided together as a group, from 6th through 12th grade, by a collaboration involving Neighbors Link, the Bedford Central School District, the Mount Kisco Police Department and the Boys & Girls Club. All partners are committed to mentoring the students to a successful high school graduation. Registered families meet biweekly in the evenings from 6pm-8pm. To register or for more information, please contact Stephanie Rosado, Family Center Director, at srosado@neighborslink.org or 914-661-6906.
Family Night Program
Families gather at Neighbors Link for a communal meal, social networking and community-building opportunities. The evenings include workshops on topics critical to their success such as navigating the school system, healthy families and financial literacy. Children and youth participate in enrichment activities. The program runs twice monthly on Friday evenings from 6:30pm-8:30pm. To register or for more information, please contact Stephanie Rosado, Family Center Director, at srosado@neighborslink.org or 914-661-6906
Childcare Program
While parents attend select programs at Neighbors Link, their children are provided supervised learning and enrichment activities in nearby classrooms. To register children in our childcare program, the parent or guardian of the child or youth must be registered in a Neighbors Link program. For more information about this offering, please contact Stephanie Rosado, Family Center Director at srosado@neighborslink.org or 914-661-6906.
Family Center Staff

Stephanie Rosado first joined Neighbors Link in 2010 and worked closely with the Worker Center and families through our Client Support Services and Adult Education programming for 7 years. She returned as the Family Center Director in September 2021. In her new role, she supports the Family Center staff in implementing programming across all Neighbors Link locations, manages program goals and outcomes and establishes and strengthens relationships with community partners with the overall mission of supporting and empowering clients and their families. Stephanie earned her Bachelors of Arts in sociology from SUNY Purchase and her Master of Social Work from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. She is licensed by the state of New York as a Licensed Social Worker (LMSW). Stephanie has experience in case management, program management, crisis intervention, group work and psychotherapy with adults and children, community organizing and community outreach. She has a particular interest in working with immigrant adults, children and families. Stephanie currently lives in the Bronx with her partner and 11-year-old Lhasa Apso, Snoopy. In her spare time, Stephanie loves spending time in the outdoors hiking or cycling, volunteering in community gardens and spending time with friends and family.

Maria Isabel Lopez began coming to Neighbors Link in 2010 as a client. She was so excited by the community that she began volunteering with the organization. As a volunteer, she helped with various programs and events. In 2015, Maria Isabel joined Neighbors Link as a staff member, working with both the Worker Center and Family Center. In 2021, Maria was promoted as Parent Education Program Manager where she works closely with parents, facilitates workshops in all three of our locations and schedules parent workshops with essential providers and community partners to present on various topics related to parenting, health, school enrollment, early childhood intervention, mental health and much more. Maria Isabel was born in Colombia and has lived in the United States for 18 years. She has a Graduate degree in Psychology from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Colombia. Her studies have been useful in helping her work with families in many different situations. She is passionate about her work and loves what she is able to do.

Mercy Quezada joined Neighbors Link in 2016 as the Parent Home Educator for our home visiting program, Parents as Teachers (PAT). Mercy was recently promoted as one of our Case Coordinators, supporting immigrant clients and families to help stabilize their lives in times of crisis, and provide ongoing case management support. Mercy connects individuals and families with community-based resources such as medical, mental health, legal and other social services throughout Westchester County to address critical needs. Mercy has a Social Work Masters degree from Fordham University. She was born in Ecuador and attended ESL classes at Neighbors Link before continuing her education. Mercy’s background has helped her understand and empathize with people facing the challenge of moving to a new country and new culture and learning a new language. Mercy has a passion for the work that she does and for helping families navigate through challenging times.

Andrea Gomez Chacon joined Neighbors Link in March 2022 as a Parent-Child Program Facilitator for our Adelante Juntos program. In her role, she works directly with our preschool age children and their parents to develop enrichment activities and opportunities that encourage curiosity, exploration and problem-solving skills appropriate to their developmental levels and learning styles. Andrea has years of experience working with young children. She is currently working towards her masters in Speech Pathology. Andrea was born and raised in Colombia and has been living in New York for six years.

Evelyne Velez joined Neighbors Link in August 2022 as a Parent Educator for our Parents as Teachers program (PAT). In her role, she provides one-on-one support via home visits during a child’s earliest years in life from prenatal through Kindergarten. Evelyne provides ongoing support targeting the parent’s role as their child’s first teacher, positive parenting, early childhood literacy, and school readiness. Evelyne has a background in psychology and child development. She earned her Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Mercy College. She has a Master’s in Child and Adolescent Developmental Psychology from Capella University and is now working towards her second Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy through Touro University. Evelyne lives in White Plains and enjoys traveling.

Ana Vinansaca originally joined Neighbors Link as a client and then began volunteering in several departments in 2015. Ana is now a Child Care Coordinator in the Family Center and she works with children of all ages across various Family Center programs. She is originally from Ecuador and is bilingual. She loves her work, especially working with children.

Margarita Zambrano first joined Neighbors Link as a volunteer in 2015 working in different departments. She has been an Adelante Juntos Facilitator since 2016 working primarily with parents. Margarita also works as one of our Case Coordinators supporting families and individual clients in crisis. She connects clients to community resources and provides ongoing case management support. Margarita also works closely with our legal team, the Neighbors Link Community Law Practice (NLCLP), to support the attorneys and paralegals in providing case management support for clients and families that need assistance connecting with additional community resources to support their immigration legal case. Prior to working at Neighbors Link, Margarita hosted a YouTube channel that focused on parenting. She was born and raised in Mexico and has been living in New York for eighteen years. Being bilingual and having lived in both countries has given her a passion for working with the community served by Neighbors Link.

Beverliz Gillert first joined Neighbors Link in 2014. In her role, Beverliz is responsible for supervising our Learning Links staff, registering families in our program and scheduling enrichment opportunities, including financial literacy, STEM workshops and sports, for the elementary school children in our after-school program at the Mount Kisco Elementary School. In her free time, Beverliz enjoys nature walks, traveling and spending time with her family.

Graciela Postigliono first joined Neighbors Link in 2007. Graciela has been a true leader in the start of our Learning Links after school program. After seeing a need in our community in the early 2000’s, Graciela reached out to Neighbors Link for support in developing a rigorous academic enrichment program that served our low-income families. Now, Graciela is one of two coordinators to oversee the day to day operations of our Learning Links after school program at the Mount Kisco Elementary School. In her free time, Graciela enjoys spending time with family.