Every Family. Every Child. Every Time.
Family Resource Center
 
Parents and Caregivers 

Positive change in children and families begins with informed parents and caregivers. We offer a number of programs to help educate, support, and empower you to take control of your family life and keep it on the right track including:

  • English and high school equivalency classes in collaboration with West Hartford Adult Education (childcare available at no charge)
  • Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI)
  • People Empowering People parent leadership training (UCONN PEP)
  • The Wisdom Circle peer group for grandparents
  • Lending library
  • Baby Bookworms (family literacy book club)
  • Support and Training for home childcare providers
  • Ages and Stages child development screenings
  • Childcare referrals
  • Ongoing parenting support groups
  • Access to school readiness scholarship information and support

People Empowering People (PEP)

UConn People Empowering People (PEP)is a FREE ten-week leadership course for parents and other adults  who care about children and their well-being and want to make a difference in our community. Using a curriculum developed by the UConn Cooperative Extension, PEP participants meet weekly with a trained facilitator and discuss communication skills, parenting practices, values, problem solving, and action planning. As a group they select a community service project and see it through from planning to implementation. Individuals may also choose to complete a project on their own.

Childcare and food is provided at each PEP session and there is no charge to participate. The Bridge's Family Resource Center has offered PEP since 1997 and graduates have gone on to serve on school committees and in PTO leadership roles, volunteered at not-for-profit agencies, and returned to the workforce. Twelve adults graduated from the 2015 class and more than 100 West Hartford residents are PEP alumni.

Elementary School-Aged Children 

Children are the future of our community and they need guidance and nurturing to help shape them into good and productive citizens.  We offer a variety of programs aimed at the enrichment and support of elementary school-age children, including:

  • After-school enrichment classes
  • Field trips
  • Theater group
  • Peer support groups
  • Recess programs
  • K.I.D.S. - Kids in Divorce and Separation group
For more information regarding Family Resource Center activities for school-age children, please contact Kris Cool, FRC Director, at 860.929.5575
Young Children 

It is beneficial to begin working with children as young as a few months old in order to equip them with the social, emotional, and cognitive skills necessary for a smooth transition into kindergarten. The FRC offers many early learning programs to help meet the needs of our community, including:

  • Early learning drop-in playgroups for children ages birth to 4 are currently offered at Charter Oak School on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Playgroups at Wolcott, Aiken, and Webster Hill schools will begin in January 2024. 
  • Home visits using the Parents as Teachers curriculum
  • Book and toy lending library
  • Saturday Academy
  • Family literacy activities
  • 1,2,3 Kindergarten with Me summer program
  • Special events

Circle of Security® Parenting Program

The Circle of Security® Parenting™ program is an 7-week researched-based program that supports and strengthens a parent/caregiver’s ability to understand a child’s emotional needs and how best to respond and support those needs. This program will be offered on Fridays October 6 - November 17 from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. at the Family Resource Center, 425 Oakwood Road, West Hartford. Register here.

PEACE Place

We offer before and after-school care for 3- and 4-year-old children who attend preschool at the Charter Oak International Academy. This is a tuition-based program offered mornings from 7:30-8:35 a.m. and afternoons from 3:20-5:30 p.m. Care will be available on Wednesday afternoons from 2:00-5:30 p.m. Contact Kris Cool at 860.929.5575 for more information. 

Summer Preschool Program

1,2,3 Kindergarten with Me is a four week summer preschool program. It has both morning and afternoon sessions and serves children who will enter kindergarten at any West Hartford school in the fall.

The curriculum introduces children to the skills they will need for school success, including activities to build vocabulary and prepare for reading, hands-on math activities, and many opportunities to become comfortable with the school environment. The program includes early math and literacy activities, cooking and crafts, weekly music classes, and children's author Rick Labadia will visit with books and creative writing projects. Tuition is $80 for four weeks. A snack is provided every day and families are responsible for their own transportation to and from the Family Resource Center. 

The program is one of many provided by the Bridge's FRC that serves more than 1,100 children and parents in West Hartford each year.

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