♥ Children, Youth & Families

Our WJCS early childhood, youth development, and family programs promote the well-being and resilience of young children, adolescents, and parents so they can reach their full potential and lead their best lives.

Students

educated by WJCS about violence prevention annually

Families

engage in parenting & child development programs each year

High Schools

given pregnancy-prevention presentations

Our broad range of support programs, many of which are offered via Zoom, telephone and video chat, provide services to children from pre-school through late adolescence as well as their parents. All programs are guided by agency experts in youth development, education, literacy and learning, parenting, mental health, and trauma. Through collaborations with community partners, WJCS addresses the challenges faced by many families in under-resourced communities in Westchester. Explore our programs below:

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Early Childhood

❤ ParentChild+ Home Visiting Program For under-resourced families of children age 16 months to 4 years in Greenburgh, Mamaroneck, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Port Chester, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, White Plains, and Yonkers.

❤ Early Childhood Centers For families with children up to age 5 who want to support their child’s early learning while connecting with other families in their community in New Rochelle, Tarrytown, and Yonkers.

❤ Summer Programs

❤ Virtual Programming

❤ Early Step Forward Early childhood mental health services for families with children up to age 5 at schools, childcare programs, and in the community. Services include social emotional curriculum for classrooms, parent/guardian and teacher consultations, community referrals, and the Family Child Care Provider Program. Services offered throughout Westchester County.

❤ Family Child Care Provider Program (FCC) Based on the ParentChild+ home visiting program, FCC offers twice weekly visits to family child care providers in Mount Vernon and New Rochelle.

❤ Child Parent Psychotherapy

❤ Remote Parent Support Groups

Contact Tally Palefski, LCSW, Director of Early Childhood Programs, at 914-761-0600 x2423; [email protected].

Youth Development

❤ Center Lane for LGBTQIA+ Youth Supportive, educational, and recreational programming for LGBTQIA+ youth.

❤ Inclure Provides substance-free social and recreational activities and programs for high school age youth, that support well-being and recovery, in partnership with the harris project.

❤ Amazing Afternoons An after-school academic and activity-based enrichment program in Elmsford, NY.

❤ Margaret’s Place For violence-prevention, education, and intervention programming, in partnership with Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation.

❤ Envision Support for high school students & college freshman

❤ YPA and Peer Education Programming For teen pregnancy programming and prevention.

Contact Katrina Schermerhorn, Assistant Executive Director, Children, Youth, and Families, at 914-761-0600 x2244; [email protected].

Family Services

❤ Academic and Career Support For academic and career support to gain high school equivalency.

❤ Victim Services The Crime Victims Advocacy & Support Services Program (CVASSP) for crime victims and survivors.

❤ Digital Equity Program For children and adults in under-resourced communities.

❤ Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Learning Center For psychoeducational testing, remediation, and support for learning challenges.

❤ Family Mental Health Clinics Research-proven services to people who are struggling with depression, anxiety, ADHD, and other behavioral health issues.

❤ Mental Health First Aid Trainings An evidence-based certified program to help parents, educators, teens, clergy, and others identify mental health challenges and gain access to appropriate help.

❤ Support Group for Grandparents of Children with Autism A monthly group for grandparents in which they share the unique challenges of having a grandchild with autism.

❤ Trauma The award-winning WJCS Trager Lemp Center provides comprehensive outpatient, evidence-based treatment programs to treat trauma and promote resilience.

WJCS ParentChild+

A WJCS client shares how the WJCS ParentChild+ program (formerly known as Parent Child Home Program) taught her to develop her daughter’s language and literacy skills.