A Connecticut nonprofit celebrates nearly two centuries of helping kids in the state. The Children’s Center of Hamden turns 190 this year and on Wednesday, they held a big birthday bash to ring it in.
From lively games to colorful face painting, music, piping hot food and an appearance from the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team, it was a bonanza to mark the milestone.
The nonprofit serves thousands of kids from all corners of the state, including senior James Little and junior Tiana Biggs, both high schoolers at the Center’s Whitney Hall School.
“It’s been really inviting the environment,” Little said.
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The students get hands-on learning thorough classes and school programs.
“I enjoy the culinary program. I enjoy the whole culture. I enjoy everything about school. School is really fun, exciting,” Biggs said.
They also find camaraderie with teachers and fellow classmates.
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“There's always jokes and laughter in the classroom,” Little said. “Everybody's getting along, and we're always making memories with each other.”
The Children’s Center of Hamden offers behavioral and mental health services, a K through 12 school, an individualized special education program and even addiction recovery for kids. It serves kids as young as three through young adults up to age 24.
“You get group therapy, individual therapy and other supportive services. There's just a robust support to children and their families,” Jim Maffuid, The Children’s Center of Hamden CEO, said.
The nonprofit also collaborates with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families to run a Quality Parenting Center. Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes says it plays a crucial role in DCF’s ultimate goal of reuniting kids and parents.
"The Quality Parenting Center allows for there to be a more normative experience: outside in a backyard, in a kitchen, making meals with their child. More of a re-enforcement of the attachment that we know parents and their children have,” Commissioner Dorantes said.
Founded in 1833, The Children’s Center of Hamden started as just a small orphanage. Throughout the centuries, it has only grown.
“We've taken in orphans that had come in during World War II after bombings in Europe, we helped with Polio, both providing services and training other doctors,” Maffuid said. “If we fast forward to today, we continue to evolve to meet the needs of our community.”
It’s a resource that is putting smiles on faces.
“It's very nice to know that there are people who care for the children and students who attend the school,” Little said.
It’s also changing lives.
“It changed a lot,” Biggs said. “I used to be like a little trouble, but once I got here, I learned a lot. I learned how to socialize and deal with peers. The classroom, I would describe it more so as family.”
