2025 was DREAM’s strongest year yet.This year, our network achieved its highest academic performance in history and saw powerful moments that show what long-term support can build: students like Jomeilin gaining confidence in their writing through our nation-leading AI initiative; alumni like Leslie Paredes returning to DREAM as a teacher; and parents like Josie giving back as community leaders. Read these inspiring stories and more in our 2025 Year in Review (link in bio).
As we close out the year, your gift ensures we can keep building on this momentum for every student we serve. Donate by 12/31 to have your gift matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000. Link in bio.
We are incredibly excited to share our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan: Bending the Arc. This is our blueprint for realizing the long-term potential of the children we serve and the communities where we work. Together, we are bending the arc toward equity for every child, every family, every community. We are building something that doesn’t exist anywhere else.
You can read more at the link in our bio.
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to each and every one of DREAM’s educators 💙
This week, our teachers were celebrated with puppy therapy, ice cream trucks, breakfast spreads, massages, and themed dress-up days—and as you can see, it’s all smiles! Thank you for bringing joy, dedication, and heart to your classrooms every single day—we appreciate you more than words can say!
Earlier this spring, our high school students explored a range of college opportunities through visits to Monroe University, Franklin & Marshall, Bard College, and City College of New York, along with attending the @nacacheadquarters College Fair ✨
These experiences brought the college journey to life—students connected with admissions officers, experienced campus culture, and gained a clearer sense of what their college years could look like. By engaging with schools that align with their interests, support needs, and financial goals, DREAM students are expanding their options and preparing for a milestone step they will soon take.
National Charter School Week is a reminder of what’s possible when public education is designed with students at the center.
DREAM, like all charter schools, is free, public, and open to all. This year’s theme, Building the Workforce of Tomorrow, highlights how charter schools equip students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to succeed in school and in life. At DREAM, that comes to life through a whole-child approach—where strong academics, enrichment, and social-emotional growth help students build confidence, explore their interests, and prepare for what’s ahead. This commitment continues beyond graduation through our Legends program, which supports DREAM alumni through college and career for six years.
We’re proud to be part of a movement expanding access and opportunity every day.
#CharterSchoolWeek #DREAMBig
Happy Teacher Appreciation Day! ✨
To our amazing DREAM educators—thank you for the care, creativity, and commitment you bring to your classrooms every single day. You do more than deliver lessons; you spark confidence, curiosity, and possibility in every scholar you reach. Those breakthrough moments, the quiet encouragement, the steady belief—you make it all happen.
We recognize the long hours, the extra effort, and the heart behind everything you do. Because of you, our students are building the skills, character, and experiences that will eventually lead them to achieve big dreams.
Broad Leadership Lab: New York City🗽
On April 21, our Broad community came together at DREAM Charter Schools for a day rooted in shared learning, reflection, and connection.
This Leadership Lab created space for alumni to explore leadership in action, from classroom observations across grade levels to meaningful conversations with education leaders across New York City. We also had the opportunity to learn more about DREAM’s Grow the Whole Child model and hear directly from students, families, staff, and alumni during a dynamic panel discussion.
Thank you to DREAM for hosting us and for your partnership in advancing equitable, student-centered leadership. And to our alumni, thank you for showing up, sharing your insights, and continuing to learn alongside one another.
💙 Happy National School Principals Day! 💙
Today, we celebrate the incredible leaders who shape our schools and set the tone for what’s possible across DREAM.
To Alex Brown Santoyo (Mott Haven Elementary), Anyssa Evelyn (Mott Haven Middle), Jared Francis (DREAM Charter High School), Lexis White (East Harlem Elementary), Alison Browne (East Harlem Middle), Shannel Richardson (Highbridge Elementary), and Cora Neville (Highbridge Middle)—thank you for the leadership, care, and commitment you bring to your communities every single day.
Because of you, our schools are places where students are challenged, supported, and inspired to grow. We’re grateful for all that you do to lead the DREAM family forward.
Earth Day in action across our campuses 🌎🌱
Last week, our elementary grade students turned curiosity into discovery by experimenting with carnations in dyed water—watching in real time as the flowers changed color while absorbing the water. A hands-on way to see how plants take in nutrients from the earth.
And across classrooms, our young students also explored what it means to care for our planet—learning about recycling through creative activities and watering plants to better understand what helps things grow.
These moments reflect how DREAM educators bring learning to life—connecting science, curiosity, and everyday habits that help students care for their communities and environment.
Arleen Tavarez, DREAM class of 2021, is continuing to build on their journey after graduating from SUNY Oswego, where she made the President’s List—an incredible accomplishment as a first-generation college student.
Now working as a Family Resource Case Worker at NY Foundling, she supports families every day while continuing to grow in the field. In this role, she’s deepening her understanding of the clinical side of case work and how it connects to social work more broadly.
Arleen is focused on building confidence, staying grounded, and pushing forward toward her long-term goals. At the center of it all is a simple but powerful belief: she’s capable of overcoming anything she sets her mind to.
We’re proud to see Arleen doing this important work and can’t wait to see what’s ahead.
DCHS students spent seven days in Costa Rica through our partnership with Alma Travel—an experience designed to push our students beyond what’s familiar and into full participation in a new environment.
They moved between San José and Limón with a learner mindset—building language skills in real time, shadowing local students, and navigating new spaces together. What started as unfamiliar quickly became routine: speaking Spanish in small interactions, learning steps in an Afro-Caribbean dance class, and finding confidence in moments that initially felt outside their comfort zone.
Through visits to the Museo Etno-Histórico, the Jaguar Rescue Center, and a Cabécar Indigenous-led chocolate and culture tour, students saw how history, environment, and identity intersect in everyday life. These weren’t passive experiences—students asked questions, made connections, and began to understand Costa Rica through the people who live there.
Service grounded the entire week. Working with the Boy with a Ball Foundation, students supported local youth through tutoring and a community project in Los Cuadros, shifting from observers to contributors.
By the end of the trip, students immersed themselves in what it means to move through the world with curiosity, adaptability, and a deeper awareness of lives beyond their own.
From blueprint to brand 🌮✨
What does it look like when learning becomes real?
This week, our high school students brought their ideas to life through our From Blueprint to Brand: Latin Food Truck Project—a five-week interdisciplinary experience blending engineering, visual arts, digital media, and Spanish.
And our high school students built businesses!!
Students researched Latin cultures and cuisines, designed logos, developed branding, and created 3D models and physical prototypes—working across disciplines to transform a concept into a fully realized food truck brand.
The project culminated in a festival-style showcase in our Hall of Dreams, where students pitched their concepts, displayed prototypes, and shared full brand portfolios—including menus, merchandise, and social media campaigns.
A huge shoutout to our Electives Team for designing such a powerful, real-world learning experience—and to our community partners who showed up, asked thoughtful questions, and affirmed our students’ work.
