The year 2000 brought a partnership between NYSRA’s Educational Foundation and the National Restaurant Association’s national initiative, a School-to-Career program, called ProStart. The ProStart program operates in 47 states, in over 1,000 schools, involving approximately 55,000 students and well over 5,000 educators. In New York State the ProStart program presently operates in 55 schools, involving over 3600 students and well over 200 educators and introduces the student to a comprehensive hospitality industry program at the 11^th and 12^th grade level. The disciplined program includes the following components: mentoring, paid internships, promoting entrepreneurship, basic business skill development, nationally certified exams, scholarships, state and national competitions and post-secondary opportunities in the form of articulation agreements with culinary and hospitality programs throughout the U.S. with the purpose of generating qualified and capable professionals for today and the future.

In the years since NYSRA’S Education Foundation was established, active recruitment in the ProStart Program has produced substantial results which speaks to the tremendous need for a program that reaches and educates students who are the future of the restaurant and hospitality industry. At this time, the Foundation manages and facilitates 55 ProStart schools in NY State. This involves over 1000 educators, administrators, guidance counselors, school to career directors, food and lodging facilities that have hired our ProStart students as paid interns. Currently, we have 500 students in paid work internship positions fulfilling their course requirements while gaining valuable experience and enhancing an industry in need of capable employees. We are also fortunate to have 13 colleges in New York State that have articulated with the ProStart schools enabling the transition of a qualified student from secondary to post secondary and/or career placement. The NYSRA Educational Foundation has experienced tremendous growth during its short tenure and faces the challenges of fulfilling the needs of many competing interests while maintaining standards with limited resources. On balance, the excitement of contributing to the growth of a much needed program that enriches our schools and ultimately the future of 3600 students provides it’s own motivation to continue this most important work.