CHS Blog
September is Suicide Prevention Month, a powerful reminder that mental health support saves lives. At Children’s Home Society of Florida (CHS), our Behavioral Health team is on the front lines every day, making sure no child or family has to face struggles alone. From anxiety and depression to trauma and behavioral challenges, young people across […]
Community partnerships are the heart of the Community Partnership Schools model™ , driving powerful, lasting change that empowers students to succeed in school and beyond. Pictured above from left to right: Benjamin Ulsch, Keystone Heights; Carianna Nelson, Jones High School; Tyler Davies, Orange Park High School; Zavier Avera, Jones High School; Christina Walker, Jefferson County […]
The 2023-24 school year was incredibly exciting for our Community Partnership Schools! CHS is a core partner in 31 Community Partnership Schools across Florida — leading the way in the state —and this is just the beginning! We’re thrilled to bring the Community Partnership Schools model to four new schools — Bellview Middle, Campbell Middle, […]
Summertime offers families more time to bond, play and enjoy all the sunshine state has to offer. Children’s Home Society of Florida reminds parents to exercise caution with sun, heat and water exposure during these months. Here are some important tips to keeping infants, children, teens and all safe while temperatures rise and summer sets […]
Championing Change through Advocacy Thank you for joining us in advocating for additional legislative funding to sustain and expand Community Partnership Schools. Because of you, Florida’s Legislature approved an increase in funding, allocating $11 Million to support Florida’s Community Partnership Schools movement! Together, we are removing barriers to learning and empowering more children to realize […]
The following story was written by Jacques a graduate of Jones High School, a Community Partnership School in Orlando, FL. As a recent high school graduate, I have been reflecting on my senior year, which was mainly filled with excitement and stress. Due to COVID and my family facing significant challenges this past year, I […]
The Florida Department of Health reports 400,000 children suffer from emotional, behavioral and developmental challenges, but only about half are able to access the treatment they need. As we’ve seen too often, this can lead to tragic circumstances … situations that may have been avoidable had youth received the intervention they so desperately needed. While […]
When you’re a new parent, it can be overwhelming, confusing and, sometimes a bit scary. Catherine related to these feelings because she was an expecting mother dealing with a lot of life changes all at once. “My husband and I found out we were pregnant weeks after leaving the military. We came to a quick […]
I didn’t know what an engineer was until I was in college. I knew what a nurse did, because my mom was a nurse. It wasn’t until college that I had access to the worlds beyond that of my home or the small town I grew up in. I’m not alone. Throughout Florida, thousands of […]
Martine Michel may not have taken the route she intended, but she ended up exactly where she needed to be; a foster parent that has provided a loving and supportive home for 16 kids in the past two years. Martine initially wanted to start a group home. She said it has always been a passion […]
When Tanya became pregnant with her first child she joined Children’s Home Society of Florida’s Healthy Families – a program that provides encouragement, practical guidance and resources to parents throughout Florida. During weekly sessions, and in the comfort of their own homes, parents – like Tanya — learn how to help their children reach key […]
“So what does the Community Partnership program do here at our school?” Bethany Groves, principal of Webster Elementary School, prompted a class of third-graders on Tuesday afternoon. “Gives us socks and shoes,” answered one boy. “We get food,” another student said. “Clothes,” one girl volunteered. Webster Elementary School and South Woods Elementary School have both […]
It’s not a top headline or the latest public outrage. It’s a quiet crisis, but one that affects not only the quality of life for kids who enter the foster care system, but also the economic outlook for the entire state. Florida’s child welfare system is understaffed and overwhelmed. Imagine if your local police or […]
Sad but true: Poverty is a reality far too many families face. Before children in poverty even step foot in a classroom, most are already playing catch-up. Too many begin kindergarten not ready for school and, by the time they reach fourth grade, 50% of those children will not be reading at grade level. Sadly, […]
Not far from bustling downtown Tampa and just west of University of South Florida, there is a transformative movement happening — one that is changing lives, strengthening families and rarely getting the attention it deserves. In Hillsborough, a county where 12 percent of the population lives in poverty, a startling 30.4 percent are at or […]
