DREAM Mott Haven
Elementary School

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Currently enrolling for Grades K-5

20 Bruckner Blvd, Bronx, NY 10454

Welcome to DREAM Mott Haven
Elementary School

At DREAM Mott Haven Elementary School, everything we do is guided by our Whole Child model: the belief that every child needs and deserves not only rigorous academic instruction, but also social-emotional support, physical health and wellness, and the strength of a community behind them. When children are known, seen, and loved, that’s when they have the space to grow into the leaders, innovators, and changemakers of tomorrow.

At a glance

30:2

student/teacher ratio

2

teachers per classroom as part of our unique integrated co-teaching model

Every year

DREAM scholars outperform their city and state peers in testing

voices from our community

“Christopher came home and said 'I love school' and we both cried. Never at the two other schools he attended did he once say he loved school.”

- Michelle, DREAM Mott Haven Kindergarten mom

Meet Principal
Alex Brown Santoyo

Alex has been a member of the DREAM family since 2014, beginning her journey as a Teach For America corps member and Monarchs class teacher at East Harlem Elementary School. In 2019, she helped launch Mott Haven Elementary School, teaching kindergarten and first grade before becoming Academic Dean in 2021. Now serving as Principal of Mott Haven Elementary, Alex continues to champion academic excellence and meaningful family engagement, driven by her passion for cultivating a community that embraces curiosity and lifelong learning.
Read her bio

Alex Brown Santoyo

Elementary School Principal

Alex Brown Santoyo joined DREAM in 2014 as a Teach For America corps member and spent five years teaching the Monarchs class at East Harlem Elementary School. In 2019, she helped found Mott Haven Elementary School as a kindergarten and first-grade teacher before becoming Academic Dean in 2021. Over her decade at DREAM, Alex has been driven by a passion for fostering a community where scholars, teachers, and families embrace curiosity and lifelong learning.

Alex holds a bachelor’s degree from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree from Fordham University. She is also a graduate of the New Leaders Foundations of Instructional Leadership program, which sharpened her focus on academic excellence across elementary grades. Alex is proud to lead Mott Haven Elementary, where DREAM’s commitment to academic success and authentic family engagement continues to inspire her work every day.

place matters

At DREAM, we believe that every child deserves a beautiful space to play, learn, and grow. DREAM Mott Haven Elementary School is located at 20 Bruckner Boulevard, DREAM’s brand-new home, a state-of-the-art school located in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx. At capacity, it will serve 1,300 Pre-K-12 DREAM scholars.

As core to our mission as it has been from day one, opportunities for play run throughout the new school, from the ground floor’s auxiliary gym to our rooftop playground. DREAM students are given the best spaces to learn, including a light-filled, cathedral-type library and a STEM quad featuring speciality classrooms and laboratories. The space is a physical manifestation of DREAM’s ambitions for its students.

our curriculum

DREAM’s curriculum ensures rigorous instruction that teaches children to think critically and imaginatively. For elementary school, this includes:

  • Literacy
  • Math
  • Science
  • Art
  • Physical Education
  • Social Emotional Learning

DREAM uses an inquiry-based approach to learning to put scholars in the front seat. Scholars find solutions to problems on their own and share their discoveries with the class. By problem solving first, they’re able to gain context on subjects and learn from their own thinking. In our classroom, we want scholars talking more than teachers.

Free Afterschool & Summer Programming

Every DREAM student is guaranteed a spot in our free afterschool and summer programming. That's because we believe that an extended-day, extended-year model is key to nurturing scholars' whole selves, keeping students engaged all day long and all year long through a mix of academic support, social-emotional learning programming, sports-based programming, and enrichment activities like field trips.

Once your child is enrolled for the fall, they can get a head start on their DREAM journey that summer; all incoming students are guaranteed a spot in our summer programming.
Learn more about summer at DREAM

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a charter school?
Charter schools are public schools, free and open to all, that have the autonomy and freedom to design classrooms that meet the needs of all students. Every charter school network has its own principles and practices, which can result in different outcomes for students and families. At DREAM Charter Schools, all teachers are NYS-certified and we are committed to a model that welcomes every child and serves all of their needs - academic, social-emotional, and physical.
What is DREAM’s application process?
Students are selected through a lottery process, and it’s free to apply. Applications must be submitted by the lottery deadline, which is in early April; applications received after the deadline will be placed on a waitlist in the order in which they are received. You can apply online or by using a print application, which are available in English, Spanish, and French. You can access online and print applications at www.wearedream.org/enroll.
What are DREAM’s hours? Does DREAM offer afterschool programming?
Breakfast is from 7:30-7:55. The school day begins at 7:45 am and ends at 4:00 pm, with afterschool continuing until 5:45 pm. In a typical year, Friday dismissal is at 1:00 pm or 5:00 pm for scholars participating in afterschool. All DREAM scholars are guaranteed a spot in our free afterschool programming, as well as our free summer programming.
Where is DREAM Mott Haven Elementary School located? Does MHES offer busing?
DREAM Mott Haven Elementary School is located at 20 Bruckner Boulevard. Busing is currently only available for students who have an IEP that requires transportation.
What kind of support does DREAM offer for children with IEPs and/or special needs?
DREAM believes in every child, and 29% of our students have identified special needs. All our classrooms are have an integrated co-teaching model (with two teachers in every classroom) as well as onsite counseling, speech language therapy, physical therapy, hearing support services, occupational therapy, and paraprofessional services. 100% of IEP services are provided in person. For our students without IEPs, DREAM offers Tier 2 Support services in the form of both academic and social-emotional interventions.
Do you offer English language learner services? If so, what services are offered?
DREAM offers two models for English Language Learner Teaching, depending on the student’s needs. In the Stand-Alone Model, ELLs/MLLs are taken out of the mainstream classroom for a block of the day to receive language support through a designated ELL curriculum. Lessons emphasize building speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills to improve both academic and social language and accelerate progress in the core classroom. In the Integrated Co-Teaching model, the ELL/MLL teacher comes into the mainstream classroom and works with the content area teacher to provide extra language support to ELLs/MLLs. It is a collaboration between the general education or content teacher and the English as a New Language teacher.
Who can I contact if I have additional questions or want more information?
You can reach out to enrollment@wearedream.org. We’re here to help and will get back to you as soon as possible!
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