Community Partnership Group

Bridges at Highland Elementary

Connecting Families, Strengthening Communities

Bridges at Highland

Tel: 561-899-1652

Highland Elementary,

Clarke Building

500 Highland Ave.

Lake Worth, FL 33460

Fax: 561- 598-5678

Bridges Director: Jaime-Lee Brown

System Director: Kathy Wall

Check out the February 2012 Calendar . Click here for Highlights!

What are Bridges?

Bridges, a program of the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County, are gathering places that connect local families to community resources so more children are born healthy, remain free from abuse and neglect, are ready for kindergarten, and are on grade level by the end of 3^rd grade.

Why create Bridges?

Despite the efforts of previous community-based programs supported by Children’s Services Council, in some neighborhoods across Palm Beach County:

Too many pregnant women still do not get the medical care they need to ensure having a healthy baby; and teen pregnancy remains a problem.
Too many babies are born too early and small, putting them at risk for life-long problems with health and learning.
Too many children aren’t ready to learn when they enter kindergarten and continue to struggle in school, unable to meet grade-level expectations by the end of 3rd grade. This stepping stone is a huge predictor of future school success.

(For more detail on these and other child well-being indicators, please see CSC’s Zip Code Report: http://cache.trustedpartner.com/docs/library/000238/ZipCodeDataReport.pdf)

The services available through Bridges focus on giving children the best possible start in life. Why? Because children given the fundamental tools for success are less likely to drop out of school, get pregnant, abuse drugs or end up in prison. This benefits our whole society.

Simply put, what happens today makes a difference tomorrow.

How do Bridges work?

Bridges support a community-networking concept that coordinates services; reduces duplication of efforts; engages residents; and builds partnerships among businesses, nonprofits, municipalities, and civic and religious groups.

The 10 Bridges locations are run by local nonprofit organizations (Children’s Home Society and Housing Partnership Inc., in collaboration with St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church, Lake Worth Resident Planning Group and New Beginnings Community Development Center) that have experience in community engagement and long-standing relationships within their neighborhoods and beyond. While each Bridges will be tailored to its community needs, most will include the following: health and wellness information; support for parents in raising their children; access to medical care for pregnant women and young children; and links to programs that engage teens to make healthy choices.

Most Bridges will open doors early in 2011. In the meantime, you may see Bridges representatives at neighborhood gatherings – getting to know community leaders, sharing information and insight, and introducing themselves and the Bridges concept to local families.

Bridges at Highland offers support to families in the local community with a host of available services:

A Family Resource Library, referrals to resources, family enrichment activities, two early education High Scope classrooms for 3 & 4 year olds, a mentoring program, an evidence-based parent engagement program, parenting workshops, health and nutrition education, financial fitness workshops, adult education via computer lab, Family Literacy, GED and ESOL classes, social and recreational activities, capacity building workshops, community events, including health fairs, and child care during evening programming.

Click here to learn more about this innovative community center - Bridges at Highland!