Early Childhood

Family Centers

El Centro De Desarrollo y Reafirmacion Familiar

Program Description
El Centro Family Center is part of the Brighter Futures Initiative and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. El Centro Family Center serves individuals, families and children living in the South Green and Frog Hollow neighborhoods of Hartford. It is a culturally and linguistically competent Family Center designed to support and promote the positive development of families and improve the school readiness of neighborhood children.

Services Provided
El Centro Family Center offers culturally and linquistically competent programs, activities and services in the following core areas:

Paraiso Infantil School Readiness Programming
School readiness programming for 3-5 year olds with a strong focus on the pre-literacy skills children need to succeed in school is provided in our licensed day care facility. The program's literacy focus is enhanced through nutritional meals and snacks and interactive learning opportunities for children.

Adult Education
English as a Second Language (ESL) classes and educational workshops support parents

Family Literacy (Rincon Familiar)
Interactive family literacy programming provides parents with the tools to support their children's literacy skills

Parent Education and support
•El Centro Family Center is a site of the Nurturing Families Network, a program of the Department of Social Services, Children's Trust Fund
•The Grandparents as Parents program brings together Latino grandparent caregivers so they can meet other people who share the same experiences and learn how to effectively respond to their responsibilities as caregivers

Cultural Events
El Centro Family Center offers cultural events such as a Three Kings Day Celebration

Intergenerational Program
This robust program connects seniors from the Senior Center at the Institute for the Hispanic Family with young children enrolled in the Paraiso Infantil school readiness program. The program helps the young children improve their school readiness skills while leaving a lifelong impression on the seniors and children and allowing the older adults to improve their quality of life and feel that they have made an important contribution to the next generation.

Eligibility
The programs and services of the Family Center are open to all regardless of religion, race, income or marital status. School Readiness serves 3 and 4 year old children living in Hartford.

Contact Person
Carmen Dosal
Program Director
45 Wadswoth Street
Hartford, CT 06106
860-524-6853
Fax: 860-293-2662

All Catholic Charities Family Centers

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