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BRIDGES Program: Enhancing Permanency for Foster Children

Broward’s Infrastructure Design to Guide and Sustain Permanency for Young Foster Children (BRIDGES) aims to support the well-being of foster children by creating stable early learning environments. Addressing trauma and challenging behaviors, the program focuses on training professionals, screening, and promoting positive behavior support. Sustainability plans include integrating with existing foster care structures and expanding services to more child care sites.

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BRIDGES Program: Enhancing Permanency for Foster Children

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  1. Broward’s Infrastructure Design to Guide and Sustain Permanency for Young Foster Children (BRIDGES)

  2. Nonprofit agency founded in 1971 • Supporting low-income and at-risk children and their families in South Florida • Services include childcare resource and referral, subsidized child care, training and technical assistance and family support programs including BRIDGES Lead Agency Grantee

  3. To create early learning environments that meet the needs of young children in foster care and to promote and sustain permanency of their placement. GOAL

  4. Target Population: Foster children (birth to five) enrolled in child care programs in Broward County, Florida.

  5. Partner Agencies/Governance

  6. Early Learning & Education Child Welfare Creating a BRIDGE

  7. Why is this needed

  8. The prolonged, severe, unpredictable stress caused by abuse and neglect can alter brain development. Toxic stress in young children causes negative impacts on the child’s physical, emotional, cognitive, and social growth. Effect of abuse/neglect on developing brains The first five years are crucial to a child’s brain development and lay the foundation for all future learning

  9. Difficultly transitioning to new home and child care center due to trauma of removal from parents and change in placement • Challenging or withdrawn behavior due to stress of suffering experienced by abuse and/or neglect Foster children come with challenging behaviors

  10. Child care providers lack of knowledge and experience in handling challenging behaviors of foster children • Trend in children being expelled from child care centers due to behaviors Common child care issues for foster children • Foster children often move from center to center further exacerbating their instability and stress

  11. BRIDGES aims to create an early learning environment that is stable and high quality for young foster children to heal their trauma and provide a place of protection

  12. How?

  13. BRIDGES Structure

  14. Training of Child Welfare and Child Care Professionals

  15. Early Screening and Identification

  16. Quality Child Care Settings

  17. Positive Behavioral Support Program PBS is funded by

  18. At end of project, BRIDGE’s steering committee, will fold into Foster Care Steering Committee, a well-established committee that includes all key stakeholders in foster care system. • Certification of child care programs responsive to foster children will be linked to community’s Child Care Quality Rating System. • Strategic plan will be developed to identify ways that programs like PBS that address social/emotional development can be expanded to other child care sites. Sustainability Plans

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