Hoops, Hope and Leadership
In episode 2 of ‘Every Step of the Way,’ co-hosts Sandra Escamilla and Georgia Boothe sit down with Daniel Singleton, principal at P.S. 31 on Staten Island, to delve into his inspiring journey from a participant in Children's Aid programs to a pivotal figure in educational leadership.
Daniel reflects on his challenging upbringing during the 80s and 90s, a period marked by the crack epidemic, and how Children's Aid provided him with much-needed safety, structure, and opportunities for personal and academic growth. Now, as a principal, he shares how he’s improving his school and giving back to his community, illustrating the profound effect that dedicated mentorship and community engagement can have on young minds.
Creators and Guests

Host
Georgia Boothe
Executive Vice President: Executive Vice President Georgia Boothe joined Children’s Aid in 2015 as the vice president of the Child Welfare and Family Services Division. She oversees the organization’s work with young people who have become involved in the juvenile justice system as well as the preventive services program, which works to strengthen families that are involved in the child welfare system. She also leads a deeply experienced team of social workers and other front line staff in serving children and families with special needs. Georgia comes to Children’s Aid after spending more than five years at Pathways to Housing NY, as the executive director. She holds an M.S.W. from Columbia University and earned her undergraduate degree from Skidmore College, where she studied social work and American studies.

Host
Sandra Escamilla
Executive Vice President: As executive vice president, Sandra supports senior leaders who oversee our community schools and centers to deliver high-quality holistic services and implement strategies that enable children, youth, and families to succeed and thrive. She also supports senior leaders charged with cultivating, implementing, and disseminating best practices in the community schools and collective impact movements as well as our college/career access and workforce development initiatives. Previously, Sandra spent nearly 15 years with the Fund of the City of New York's Youth Development Institute, the last five of which she served as executive director. She led a host of initiatives designed to help youth-serving organizations across multiple sectors maximize their impact in New York City and across the nation. She also founded a consultancy where she provided executive coaching to local and national leaders throughout the country with a focus on DEIB. Sandra earned an M.S.W. from Columbia University and received a B.A. in sociology from Hunter College, where she also was an instructor in a course on mentorship.

Producer
Anthony Ramos
Vice President of Marketing and Communication: Anthony Ramos manages the public profile of Children's Aid across all media and led the organization’s efforts in its first rebranding process in more than four decades. Since joining Children’s Aid in 2011, Ramos has helped to communicate Children's Aid’s strategic objectives to key stakeholders and enhance its web presence through multimedia. Ramos came to Children’s Aid from the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), where he served as director of communications. Prior to his work with GLSEN, Ramos managed communications for the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center and the National Hemophilia Foundation.

Guest
Daniel R. Singleton
Dan Singleton began his teaching career in 2004. Today he is principal of P.S. 31, a middle school in Staten Island. He is an alumnus of the Children’s Aid Goodhue Community Center in Staten Island. Daniel Singleton, Principal I earned a basketball scholarship to attend Southern Connecticut State University where I received a bachelor’s degree in psychology. I earned a master’s degree in Elementary Education from the College of Staten Island. In 2004 I began my teaching career at PS 57 in Park Hill. After 6 years of teaching at PS 57, I spent a year teaching at PS 22 in Graniteville and then taught the following year at PS 13 in Rosebank. I became Assistant Principal at PS 78 in Stapleton in 2013. In 2017 I was honored to become the Principal of PS 31 in New Brighton. My educational experiences have led me to believe the following: Relationships are key. Once you show that you believe in a child and you care about them genuinely, it will help foster belief in themselves that can carry them to a beautiful future. We must set high expectations for our children. It’s not where you’re from, its where you’re at. Once we are grounded in where we are, we can identify a plan to move forward toward where we want to be. And finally, we are worthy of anything we dream. Children deserve the right to be whatever they desire to be. It’s our duty as their caretakers to model greatness and provide opportunities for exposure.
