In 1991, in partnership with The
Bridge Family Center, the Charter Oak Academy established the
Family Resource Center to support the healthy development of
families in the community. The Family Resource Center offers an
integrated system of family support services that enhance
parenting, promote family involvement with the schools, and help
children to succeed academically, socially and emotionally.
Deborah Zipkin,
M.S., has been the Director of the Family Resource Center at
Charter Oak Academy since 1994. Robin Drago, the Parent
Educator, was selected as 2005 Parent Educator of the Year by the
Parents as Teachers National Center. All staff members at the FRC, including the youth counselor and administrative assistant,
work as a team to help families build strong relationships with
the school and nurture the healthy development of their
children.
The Family
Resource Center at Charter Oak Academy has been selected as a
“School of the 21st Century—National Demonstration Site” by
the Yale University Bush Center for Child Development. In
September 1999, the Family Resource Center was selected by “Working
Mother Magazine” as one of the ten best programs in the
country for working parents.
The Family Resource Center currently
offers programs at four other West Hartford schools—Florence E.
Smith School of Science and Technology, Whiting Lane School,
Wolcott School, and Webster Hill School—as well as at the
Hillcrest Neighborhood Outreach Center.
In fiscal year 2006, 800 children and
175 adults were served by FRC programs.
Programs for
School-Age Children
Programs for
Parents and Caregivers
Programs for Young
Children
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