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Second Street Youth Center Foundation Inc

EIN 22-6100119 · Plainfield, NJ

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair57 out of 100GovernanceGood77 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE MISSION OF SECOND STREET YOUTH CENTER, INC. (SSYC) IS TO PROVIDE EDUCATION, RECREATION, ATHLETIC AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN, PARENTS, CARETAKERS, GUARDIANS AND COMMUNITY RESIDENTS AT LARGE. WE PROVIDE INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL AND ADVISORY SERVICES FOR LOW-INCOME CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITY RESIDENTS. WE DEVELOP CHILDREN'S COMPETENCY, SELF-ESTEEM, AND SELF-RELIANCE THROUGH OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE CHOICES, EXPERIMENT, CREATE, IMAGINE, AND INQUIRE. SSYC NUTURES THE WHOLE STUDENT AND THEIR FAMILY, PROVIDING THE TOOLS NOT ONLY FO CHILDREN TO SUCCEED IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY TO SUCCEED EMOTIONALLY AND SOCIALLY TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF TODAY'S SOCIETY. THROUGH OUR FOUR PROGRAMS, PRESCHOOL, AFTERSCHOOL (INCLUDING STEAM ENRICHMENT) FULL STEAM AHEAD SUMMER CAMP, AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH SERVICES, SSYC UTILIZES A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO PROVIDE A CONTINUUM OF PROGRAMMING THAT POSITIVELY IMPACTS ACCESS TO PRESCHOOL, NUTRITION, PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH, ENVIRONMENTAL FACTO

Income
$4.6 million
Spending
$4.4 million
Spent on programs
97%
Reserves
2.2 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 75%
Employees
88
Highest pay
$156,167, executive director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 57 out of 100. Higher than 27% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 2.2 months of spending.

  • Debt

    2 of 20

    It owes 88% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 3% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 10% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    97% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Good: 77 out of 100. Higher than 28% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    9 of 11 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    0 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (3)
  1. LAUNCHED IN 2022, THE COMMUNITY AND FAMILY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM PROVIDES A HIGHER LEVEL OF CARE FOR FAMILIES IN THE COMMUNITY, INCLUDING CASE MANAGEMENT AS WELL AS SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING SUPPORT TO STUDENTS. THE COMMUNITY AND FAMILY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED TO CONDUCT EDUCATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR FAMILIES OF SSYC AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN PLAINFIELD. THROUGH THE ORIGINAL OUTREACH DEPARTMENT AND IN THE AFTERMATH OF COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS, SSYC RECOGNIZED THAT OUR FAMILIES AND OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY REQUIRED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO ACCESS THE SERVICES AND RESOURCES THAT HELP TO COMBAT THE ENDEMIC POVERTY THAT PLAGUES THE COMMUNITY. OUR FOCUS IS TO ELIMINATE BARRIERS OF ACCESS TO MUCH-NEEDED RESOURCES AND SERVICES IN OUR COMMUNITY. THIS INCLUDES ELIMINATING BARRIERS TO HEALTHCARE, HEALTH INSURANCE, AND OTHER COMMUNITY RESOURCES. OUR TEAM OF FAMILY NAVIGATORS RESOLVES ISSUES OF LANGUAGE, LITERACY, AND SOCIAL ECONOMIC STRESSORS THAT PLAGUE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY.
  2. PRE-SCHOOL - SSYC OPERATES A COMPREHENSIVE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR 210 CHILDREN DAILY THROUGH OUR COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PLAINFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE ARE USING THE STATE-APPROVED CURRICULUM, CONNECT 4 LEARNING, WHICH IS A STEM-BASED CURRICULUM FOUNDED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. AS WE RESPOND TO THE DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS NEEDS OF CHILDREN, WE UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO ADDRESS THE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF OUR CHILDREN ENTERING THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM FOR THE FIRST TIME. THEREFORE, THIS CURRICULUM AND OUR ACADEMIC APPROACH EMBED SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING THROUGHOUT THE DAY. WE ARE ALSO DATA-DRIVEN, THEREFORE, CHILDREN ARE ASSESSED TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE MAKING SATISFACTORY PROGRESS TOWARDS MASTERY OF THE STATE OF NJ PRESCHOOL STANDARDS AND ARE BEING PROPERLY PREPARED FOR KINDERGARTEN. AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM: SSYC OPERATES AN ACADEMIC AFTER-SCHOOL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM. DAILY WE TRANSPORT 60 CHILDREN FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN PLAINFIELD. THEY ARE PROVIDED A HEALTHY SNACK, HOMEWORK ASSISTANCE, AND STEM-RELATED EDUCATION, 5 DAYS PER WEEK. OUR PROGRAM INCLUDES TWO LICENSED TEACHERS, WHO ALSO PROVIDE INDIVIDUAL TUTORING FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE IDENTIFIED AS FAILING BELOW GRADE LEVEL. OUR PROGRAM IS CRITICAL TO THE ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF OUR STUDENTS. MOST OF OUR PARENTS SUFFER FROM CHALLENGES IN THE AREA OF LITERACY AND DO NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO ASSIST THEIR CHILDREN WITH HOMEWORK OR ACADEMIC CHALLENGES.
  3. FULL STEAM AHEAD SUMMER ENRICHMENT: SSYC PROVIDES AN 8-WEEK SUMMER ENRICHMENT PROGRAM FOR 100 CHILDREN ANNUALLY. THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS, THE CHILDREN GET TO SELECT FROM A SERIES OF PERFORMANCE-BASED ARTS, SUCH AS DRUMMING, TAP DANCE, AFRICAN DANCE, OCAL AND VIDEOGRAPHY. THEY RECEIVE THE ARTS TWICE PER WEEK. THEY ALSO PARTICIPATE IN TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMMING, INCLUSIVE OF ROBOTICS, COMPUTER SKILLS AND CODING. FINALLY, THEY HAVE FIVE FULL DAYS OF STEM-RELATED CLASSES, INCLUSIVE OF CONDUCTING AND UNDERSTANDING EXPERIMENTS AND THE SCIENTIFIC MODEL. THEY HAVE SUMMER TRIPS THAT ALIGN WITH THEIR STEM SUBJECTS. THEIR SUMMER CULMINATED WITH A SHOWCASE, WHERE THEY GET TO DISPLAY ALL THEY LEARNED TO THEIR FAMILIES AND VARIOUS COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since December 1968.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.