Extending the Circle of Caring: Jack & Jill Children’s Center’s Commitment to Community

I saw her every day for weeks in the Family Resource Room like clockwork; in at 8 a.m. and out by 4 p.m. Lisa was homeless, unemployed, and her boyfriend had just been killed. Thank-fully we had the privilege to help support her and her children when they needed it the most.

This is how many of our families enter our program: in crisis. Ninety percent of our parents are single mothers with two or more children, who are earning less than $26,000 a year. The stress and frustration of finding high-quality, affordable child care locks many Broward County families into cyclical poverty, generation after generation. Lack of stable child care can often force parents to drop out of school and/or job training, and experience high job absenteeism and turnover. As a result, they are prevented from steady incomes,

Heather Siskind is the executive director at Jack & Jill Children’s Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She is a passionate leader in early education and has worked in the field for more than 20 years. During her tenure, she has served children and families in organizations such as Miami-Dade College, YWCA, United Way of Miami-Dade, and Baptist Health South Florida. Heather earned an associate of science degree in early childhood education and an associate of arts degree in psychology and elementary education from Miami-Dade College. She went on to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degree in social

work from Florida International University. She has served as president of the South Florida Association for the Education of Young Children. When Heather is not trying to improve the field of early education, she is spending time with her children, husband, two dogs and two cats at her home in Plantation, Florida. A self- proclaimed lifelong learn-er, she is actively involved in two book clubs and currently studying to be a certified life coach. Heather’s personal mis-sion is to empower herself and others to live up to their full potential. She lives and works with her top two values of humor and integrity at the forefront of all things. Jack & Jill Children’s Center began in 1942 so women could go to work while men were at war. Over those years, we have served thousands of children and families by meeting their changing needs. We are proud to say we are celebrating our 75th anniversary this year. To learn more about the work we do, please visit www.jackandjillcenter.org.

Wrapping Our Arms Around Our FamiliesJack & Jill Children’s Center • Fort Lauderdale, Florida

by Heather Siskind

26 COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY www.ChildCareExchange.com EXCHANGE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

“Who cares for the littlest people, the children most at risk in our community? They do not ask to be born into their circumstances. Jack & Jill cares for these children and their families.

We provide the right combination of support services, education, guidance, and assistance to make a difference in our community. We, each of us, have so much in life.

These children are our future; we must work together for a better tomorrow.” — Fran Payne

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job advancement, and a stable life for themselves and their children.

We know from both research and anecdotal experience that poverty can impede a child’s ability to learn and can contribute to social, emotional, and behavioral problems as well as poor health and mental health. Researchers have long documented the positive outcomes that high-quality early child-hood education has on the development of children, including readiness for school, greater academic achievement, higher rates of high school and college completion, lower rates of incarcera-tion, and higher incomes. At Jack & Jill, we work to make sure children are on track for age-appropriate developmental stages in social, emotional, and commu-nication skills in order to set them up for success in school and in life.

The families who choose Jack & Jill are motivated to work and financially stabi-lize their lives, work towards indepen-dence, and break their cycle of poverty. We hold our families accountable by requiring them to work a minimum of 30 hours a week or attend school, and all families pay a portion of their child’s tuition, even if they are paying a reduced rate or are on a scholarship.

Erika, Lisa’s three-year-old, was living in the car with her mom and older sister and she came into our program timid and uncertain. Our program focuses on attachment, trust, and bonds with our caregivers, and implements continuity of care and primary care. Teachers stay with their groups for the children’s first three years of life and then that same group of children move to the preschool program with a new set of teachers for their final two years of early education. This helps parents form their own social support network in the classroom with each other. We use a research-based curriculum with a focus on social and emotional development. On any given day, you will see children using mindful-

Family Strengthening Program Courses

Financial Literacy Series

Parents gain knowledge and skills that are necessary to help them make informed and effective decisions about their financial resources.

Career Advancement Series

Résumé writing, interview skills, job search strategies, creating Linked In profiles, and Customer Service 101 is taught by the end of the series.

Nurturing Parenting Series

Focuses on building nurturing parenting skills as an alternative to abusive and neglectful parenting practices.

Making Dreams a Reality Series

Parents learn how to become homeowners, including how to budget and boost their credit scores, avoid predatory lending schemes, and search for and maintain a home.

Adventures in Relationships Series

To create healthy relationships, parents are presented topics such as personality styles, meeting emotional needs, love languages, dividing responsibilities, conflict resolution, and listening skills.

Baby and Me SeriesPlay-based activities that support cognitive and social development while learning solutions to parenting challenges.

Cooking Matters Series

Healthy cooking, portion control, nutrition, and demonstrations provide parents with a better understanding on how to live a healthy lifestyle.

Photo by Kara Starzyk

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ness and practicing yoga. Children who have diagnosed disabilities are also able to have services on-site so that parents can work or go to school.

Lisa committed to not only finding a job, but with the assistance of our emer-

gency funding program, was able to find permanent housing and furnishings. She was also able to use the J&J Boutique to ‘shop’ for clothes and food. The boutique is stocked with items donated by the community and parents can come and take what they need. Lisa also attended

our ten-week Nurturing Parenting series, which is designed to prevent child abuse and neglect, and is one of many classes we provide throughout the year. Parents are given a safe place to share, learn, and bond with other parents. Classes are available not only to our current families, but also to our waitlist families and those in the community. Additionally, enrolled families on scholarship must attend a parenting series annually to keep their child in the program.

Lisa went on to be a part of our Parent Council and she completes a required 14 hours of volunteer work at the center every year. She also had the courage to personally share her story with our corporate sponsors. This group of over 32 businesses supports our program in many ways to help us grow and develop to meet the needs of our families. With their help we now offer afterschool care, summer camp, and kindergarten. In the fall of 2017, we will launch our inaugural first grade class. Lisa was the ‘ringleader’ as we were planning our foray into elementary education, and she made sure we expanded our program so her daughter could remain with us. She is a

Corporate Partners in Action

Investment philanthropy is what we call our partnerships with our local business community because they are directly investing in our children. At Jack & Jill we believe in partnering with companies to provide more opportunities for our children. This includes funding for scholarships as well as more ‘non-traditional’ approaches to corporate support.

As a member of Jack & Jill’s Corporate Partner Program, a company is demonstrating its commitment to our community, as well as its vision for making early childhood education and support services for low-income working families a priority. Companies are investing in their future workforce and company leaders believe that every child should have equal opportunities to succeed in life. We create a strong partnership with the corporations; not only do we benefit from their donation, but they do as well. 

Partner benefits:

• Tickets to all signature events• Exclusive networking opportunities• Marketing benefits• On-site corporate volunteer opportunities

Corporate employees love to volunteer at Jack & Jill because they can see the direct impact they are having on our children, not to mention how cute they are! We have had companies put on carnivals for our children with bounce houses, face paint, and water activities. Staff from one corporation spent a day cleaning our school from top to bottom. Other companies have put on scavenger hunts and art projects. Apple even came to Jack & Jill to teach our children how to create their own movies on iPads! Through our partnerships, we are providing our children new and exciting opportunities. They are opening their eyes to all the possibilities of what they can do with their lives.

Tips for starting your own corporate partner program:

• Develop a Corporate Partner committee that focuses only on the creation of this program.

• Board involvement! Ask each board member to refer two corporate prospects and to make the introductions.

• Offer marketing benefits and employee engagement opportunities.

• Ensure you have the right marketing materials for your corporate program.

• Sell your prospects with a tour of your center to seal the deal!

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Erika will be starting first grade this year and will attend our afterschool program. We are working together with the commu-nity and the board to develop a new elementary school so we can continue providing the services and care ‘our’ chil-dren — and their families — need. Chil-dren will get an excellent education and parents will be able to continue receiving family strengthening services, depending on their unique needs. Each year, every family in our program participates in an assessment, which yields information on how we can help support them on their journey. We individualize care for every child and every family. Together we ensure they have the tools they need to be successful in life.

Reference

Chapman, G. (2014). The five love languages: The secret to love that lasts. Chicago: Northfield Publishing.

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determined woman and mother who is leading the way for other parents in the program. Her impact will influence generations to come.

A Woman with a Vision

Fran Payne became the executive director of Jack & Jill Children’s Center in 1969, having recognized the need for safe, dependable child care for working mothers. Under her leadership, the center went through two prominent expansions. The number of children served at the center increased from 50 to 170, and support programs were added: the food and clothing bank, a lending library, job resource area, and the parent strengthening program. She was a tireless worker, helping at-risk children and families in the community. This work was her lifetime ministry, always ready to lend a ‘hand up’ to those in need.

After 38 years of hard work and dedication to Jack & Jill, Fran retired. The Fran Payne Society was then created and named in her honor for the center she helped build. The society’s mission is to generate annual, multi-year operating funds for the center. By investing as a group, Fran Payne Society members have the ability to change the lives of children and families attending Jack & Jill now and in the future. Our society currently consists of our 100 most generous individual donors. They each believe in Fran Payne’s vision and continue to support the center through their commitment to the Fran Payne Society.