Celebrating Medical Professionals on National Doctors Day

Celebrating Medical Professionals on National Doctors Day

Today on National Doctors Day, we are celebrating the incredible medical professionals working at our full-service health center, Community Health at Hall. We are grateful that we are able to serve the East Side of Bridgeport with high-quality medical care, and, with the support of our committed team of medical professionals, we look forward to growing the health services available in our neighborhood.

The East Side of Bridgeport is a vibrant community with diverse needs. In our 135 year history, Hall Neighborhood House has met those needs in both practical and creative ways, and our on-site community health center, in partnership with Optimus Health, is the latest offering designed to bring care and resources to those we serve. We are one of the only youth, childcare, and senior centers to offer on-site medical care in our area.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our community health center has made it possible for us to provide COVID-19 testing and vaccinations on-site. We are grateful for the physicians at Optimus Health and Yale New Haven Health that have helped us serve our community throughout the pandemic.

In addition, we continue to provide accessible, high-quality medical services that contribute to our neighbors’ long-term wellbeing and quality of life. Although medical experts widely agree that primary care forms the cornerstone of individual and public health, primary care visits have dropped across the nation. People with lower incomes, especially, have less access to primary care and tend to wait until something is wrong before visiting a doctor, a trend that results in poorer health outcomes. We know that preventative care is essential for community health, so Community Health at Hall provides physicals, immunizations, and ongoing, preventative medical care. Last year, in partnership with Sacred Heart University College of Nursing, we offered 1,000 medical screenings for senior citizens in our community. We look forward to providing even more primary care through the new community health center.

As one of Hall Neighborhood House’s Physician’s Assistants, Charles Engle, PA-C, described, “At the new community health center, I’m able to offer critical support and healing to families in this neighborhood. Community Health at Hall makes preventative medical care convenient and accessible to those living on the East Side of Bridgeport. Our patients will benefit for years to come from the services Hall Neighborhood House provides just a short distance from their homes.”

And in so many ways we are just getting started.

Your donation today will enable the continued growth of Community Health at Hall’s medical offerings. Soon, we will also provide dental, vision, and psychological services to our neighborhood. In Bridgeport’s low-income communities, 19% of children lack proper dental care, and 5.4% of young adults ages 18-25 self-identified as having a serious mental illness, a significant increase from the survey three years prior. By offering high-quality dental, vision, and behavioral health care, we will address critical community needs and continue Hall Neighborhood House’s mission to provide holistic, high-quality services throughout our neighbors’ lives.

Celebrate International Women’s Day 2021 with Hall Neighborhood House

Celebrate International Women’s Day 2021 with Hall Neighborhood House

Every year on March 8, we recognize International Women’s Day—a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Here at Hall Neighborhood House, we are excited to celebrate the strong women who make our community as vibrant as it is today!

We are proud that our history includes so many thoughtful and passionate women—including our founders and our namesake, Sarah Hall. In 1886, a group of community-minded women started the Associated Charities of Bridgeport to help young migrant families adjust to life in the industrious and growing community of Bridgeport, CT. Then, in 1901, one of the founders, a woman named Sarah Hall, donated her home as a residence for young women. At this “Hall Home,” women received training and job placement assistance—and a few short years later, they began offering nursery and childcare services.

The vision and dedication of this small group of women more than a century ago built the foundation of Hall Neighborhood House and set the stage for where we are today.

Since those early days, countless staff, teachers, and board members have continued to use their unique strengths to carry out our mission to this day. Women across the organization lead by example, inspiring the young women who are active participants in our programs.

Hall is dedicated to creatively and comprehensively meeting the needs of women in our community. In our childcare and preschool programs, young girls prepare for a successful transition to kindergarten by building literacy and social skills. And in our youth programs, talented young women make art, take computer classes, play sports, and explore career options, taking advantage of varied opportunities to learn and grow.

We also host Beats by Girlz: Bridgeport, a community partner program that helps girls break into the male-dominated fields of music engineering and producing. Beats by Girlz participants learn with the best using our state-of-the-art music studio, which includes recording rooms and professional mixing equipment. Girls can also choose to be paired with a mentor who addresses their specific goals.

From the youngest children to our vibrant community of seniors, we invest in and celebrate women and girls of all ages, today and every day. We want Hall Neighborhood House to be a place where women are encouraged to cultivate their unique talents and reach their individual goals, with the support of leaders, teammates, and mentors.

And this network of support includes you.

With your generous support, Hall can continue to provide a safe and healthy environment for girls and women. When women thrive, we all thrive. Today, on International Women’s Day, support Hall’s year-round programming by making a gift today in honor of the women in your life.

Make a one-time or recurring donation at hallneighborhoodhouse.org/donate

To our team: Thank you.

To our team: Thank you.

At Hall Neighborhood House, we are endlessly grateful for our hardworking, passionate, dedicated staff. We have the best team. If you haven’t gotten a chance to meet them yet, here are a few things you should know:

They love to learn.
They are kind.
They cherish our community.
They find creative ways to solve difficult problems.

During the past year, Hall Neighborhood House has not only remained open to our community, we’ve grown our services to meet the extra need.

We couldn’t have adapted and expanded without each and every teacher and program director we have on board.

They spent countless hours creating and implementing new COVID-safe protocols, sometimes restructuring entire programs if that’s what it took to ensure our community stayed healthy. They’ve balanced safety and connection with sensitivity and care. And they’ve kept spirits up as we navigated tough circumstances.

Our early childhood program remains best-in-class and has served as a haven for many local families who need affordable child care more than ever before, with some parents working from home and others unemployed due to the recession. Our teachers have ensured a stellar and safe learning environment for the youngest members of our community.

Our youth program has adjusted to the realities of virtual learning. Not everyone has reliable internet or computer access, or an adult at home who has extra time for homework help, so we opened space for a group of students to attend virtual classes and complete their assignments right here at Hall Neighborhood House. After school, many other students join us for tutoring and time to play. It is no small feat that Hall Neighborhood House employees have ensured a consistent space for students to safely learn and socialize—something that’s rare these days.

In the summer, kids from around the neighborhood had a blast with our programs, laughing and learning like kids should.

They were still able to enjoy these activities because our staff was working extra hard to keep them safe and healthy.

All summer long, seniors played Bingo outside where they could still gather safely. As temperatures dropped, we began delivering meals to seniors in their homes, ensuring that they still had someone looking out for them, even when we couldn’t meet in-person. In recent months, we’ve vaccinated over 100 senior citizens—and soon, we’ll begin welcoming small groups of vaccinated seniors back inside Hall Neighborhood House for activities. Our team is listening deeply to what the community needs and exploring creative ways to grow our services while keeping everyone healthy.
And this winter, as we began offering COVID testing and vaccinations here at Hall Neighborhood House, our team demonstrated flexibility and care once again. Staff helped us create space for additional medical personnel on-site, reorganize schedules so that our partners could use the gym for vaccines, and even shared parking spaces! We are committed to meeting the needs of our community, and our staff has made it possible for us to introduce new services for our neighbors, improve our processes, and keep everyone safe and healthy.

Thank you to every program director, teacher, and team member at Hall Neighborhood House.

Your leadership is what makes every activity at Hall Neighborhood House possible. Thank you for your resourcefulness as we have explored new initiatives, your flexibility in seeing where the most need exists, and your creativity as we develop solutions to these challenges.

Your investment in children, seniors, and families on the East Side of Bridgeport is what brings us and our community hope, even in the toughest of times. Thank you for your expertise, your patience, and your wisdom.

We appreciate you, Hall Neighborhood House team. You bring a smile to our faces every day. Thank you for your work. Together we can make life better!

Classroom Teacher

Under the general supervision of the Director of Early Learning Director, a successful incumbent will be the classroom adult with primary responsibility for the classroom.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Relationships

  • Building strong partnerships with families
  • Establishing on-going community with families, children and co-workers
  • Developing and maintaining effective classroom team

Curriculum

  • Implement developmentally appropriate practice in the five key areas of practice
  • Plan and be responsible for and implement weekly lesson plans in all domains using the Creative Curriculum Goals and Objectives
  • Prepare lesson plans in cooperation with the assistant teachers

    Teaching

    • Create an inviting and positive learning environment across all domains using Creative Curriculum
    • Use intentional and purposeful multiple instructional methods
    • Supervise all classroom activities
    • Implement lesson plans with the assistance and cooperation of the assistant teachers

      Assessment

      • Conduct ongoing observations and documentation of the children
      • Objectives with the assistance of the assistant teacher
      • Maintain portfolios and observation notes for every child with the assistance of the assistant teacher
      • Conduct yearly screening of every child
      • Refer children for additional assessment to the appropriate professionals in a timely fashion
      • Prepare Individual Child Profiles and Child Progress and Planning Reports for family conferences three times a year

      Health and Safety

      • Assure a safe and secure environment in the classroom and throughout the center
      • Promotes the complete physical, oral and mental health and social well-being of children because health is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

      Families

      • Establishes and maintains positive and effective relationships with each child’s family to foster childrens’ development
      • Is sensitive to the diversity of children, their families and co-workers
      • Maintains confidentiality of children and parents
      • Reinforces a families’ responsibility in their child’s education, growth and development

        Community Relationships

        • Develops community resources outside the scope of the program
        • Build reciprocal relationship with community groups to achieve the center’s goals for curriculum, health promotion, children’s transitions, inclusion and diversity
        • Advocate on behalf of children and families
        • Network with other early care and education professionals

        Physical Environment

        • Sets up and maintains the classroom’s physical environment to foster learning, comfort, health and safety of children, parents and colleagues
        • Assures that the classroom is accessible to all

        Leadership and Management

        • Knowledge of and adherence to the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct
        • Knowledge of policies and procedures of the organization generally and of the center specifically
        • Adherence to the policies and procedures of the organization and the center
        • Be a role model for the classroom and for the center
        • Be proactive in identifying problems and providing solutions
        • Being a willing participant in continuing educational growth and development

        EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

        Entry-level candidates must have:

        • A Bachelor in Early Childhood Education, or a similar discipline, from a regionally-accredited institution of higher education,  
        • Experience and/or training in working with children under six years old
        • Teachers hired before February 2017 without a Bachelor Degree must have an active plan in place for completing their BA degree by 2019. In addition, must show proof you are enrolled in an accredited school and must provide supervisor with an undated copy of their transcript after each semester.

        ESSENTIAL ABILITIES, SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPECTATIONS:

        • Effective interpersonal skills
        • Effective communication, organizational and guidance skills
        • Ability to work effectively with diverse children, families and co-workers
        • Specific preparation, knowledge and skill in Early Childhood Education
        • Strong, positive and nurturing approach to the care and education of children

        PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

        • Ability to lift up to 50 pounds (picking up children when necessary and retrieve supplies)
        • Ability to stand, walk, reach, stoop, kneel or crouch (To work with and communicate with children at their level and to keep classroom tidy)
        • Move throughout the classroom (and outdoors) supervising children
        • Stand for long periods of time
        • Walk or run for long periods of time
        • Sit on the floor for periods of time
        • Walk up/down flight of stairs daily

        This is a full time, non-exempt position, scheduled for 35 hours per week.