Jack and Jill Children's Center

Jack & Jill Center was originally established in 1942 by the junior league of greater fort lauderdale to provide childcare for women entering the workforce as their husbands were called to fight in world war ii. Today, 82 years later, Jack & Jill Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) community-based organization that provides comprehensive, holistic, wraparound support services to children of high-need parents who work or attend school in order to improve their wellbeing and quality of life. Jack & Jill Center is the oldest nonprofit provider of early childhood education in broward county, and at our core, our critical work has remained the same since our inception: we continue to serve families-primarily women-led households, educate children, and both support and advocate for families and our community. To date, Jack & Jill Center has served nearly 25,000 children and families. This year we made great strides as a result of the tremendous generosity and support from our funders and community members. We went from 123 students at the madelaine halmos academy to 156 for the 2023-24 academic school year. In our early education program we have 135 students. The madelaine halmos academy opened for our third year in the new building. Madelaine halmos academy is a private elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade with a primary focus on steam (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). The academy's unique and robust program nurtures the whole child by combining academic, social-emotional, and wellness elements to ensure a highly-effective educational experience. Program elements include project-based curriculum, technology integrations, wellness activities, engaging extracurricular activities, on-site counseling/ therapeutic services, and interactive, educational field trips. The academy develops lifelong learners, launching them into bright, prosperous futures. The out of school program at madelaine halmos academy supports social, emotional, and cognitive learning beyond the academic day. We received the most grant through the Children's services council for four years of funding. This grant provides funding for children to attend the aftercare program and will enable us to expand our programming. The early education Center, serving infants through pre-k4 is accredited by the national association for the education of young children. This program demonstrates standards of high-quality early childhood education including a safe, healthy environment and appropriately challenging, developmentally sound curriculum. Comprehensive and research-based, creative curriculum is utilized to promote exploration and discovery. Conscious discipline, an evidence-based comprehensive initiative, is employed to manifest opportunities to teach critical life skills. Additionally, continuity of care is practiced to ensure children remain with the same teachers and caregivers for multiple years, creating secure, stable attachments. This year through a pwc grant we were able to invest in a stem program- flight labs has soared into our preschool classrooms, bringing innovation and new learning experiences to our young explorers. These captivating additions have sparked excitement as our toddlers engage in playful activities and hands-on investigations centered around the wonders of flight, air currents, and the power of mother nature. The comprehensive family program engages and supports families by providing intensive parent education, case management, referrals, and an array of other support services including one-on-one financial coaching, therapeutic services, counseling, access to the j&j boutique (food and clothing pantry) and family resource room/ computer lab, and emergency assistance funds. The family program also assists with resume writing, job searches, goal setting, and family budgeting. Through this program, families gain the skills, knowledge, and resources they need in order to increase self- sufficiency and foster their child's healthy growth and development. The health (helping everyone achieve long term health) program was started three years ago with a united way grant, providing comprehensive and integrated health services in collaboration with community resources for the children, families, and faculty of Jack & Jill Center. This program was designed using the cdc's whole school, whole community, whole child (wscc) model. Through comprehensive assessments, provision of health services, preventative healthcare, and community partnerships, this program has a significant positive impact. One of the unique features of the health program is our therapy dogs. We have two therapy dogs, fenway and quinzy, who work with our children in our early education and elementary programs. This upcoming year we will be incorporating telehealth into our health program after receiving a grant from cvs/aetna. We are excited about this opportunity to remove barriers to healthcare for our children and their families. Our early education and madelaine halmos academy students and families not only receive a top-notch education, but access to our health and family programs, as we believe in addressing the needs of the whole child and their family. We believe every student in broward county should have access to high-quality education, healthcare, necessary therapies, healthy food, and family programming. As a result of addressing the needs of the whole child, we can remove roadblocks to learning and children can flourish; by addressing the needs of whole families, parents gain knowledge and confidence in their skills while their children perform and behave better at home and in the classroom. Ultimately, Jack & Jill Center was able to provide services and programs for children, families, and community members to help them reach their greatest potential in a safe, nurturing, and loving environment.