We Care for Our Community

We Care for Our Community

Everything we do at Hall Neighborhood House is driven by our core values. They are the guiding lights for our team as we learn to serve our community better every day. We love our neighbors on the East Side of Bridgeport, and part of what makes our organization so special is that we care for our community. As neighbors, we are responsible for one another and take pride in how we show up for each other.

To us, caring is not an adjective; it’s an action. Here’s how we take action to care for our community on the East Side of Bridgeport: 

We have pride in ourselves and the work we do.

At Hall Neighborhood House we do what’s needed, and we do it well. When we do our best as individuals and feel fulfilled by our work, the whole organization benefits!  

We seek out outside accreditation on both individual and organizational levels. Our classroom staff all have teaching certifications and are highly trained in education and child development. They also undergo regular training on important safety topics, including food handling, first aid, and CPR. We prioritize learning and personal development alongside our daily responsibilities. 

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we have received a number of national and state accreditations and hold a 5-star rating from Charity Navigator. These impartial measures provide a holistic look at our impact as an organization, confirming the quality of our programs and leadership.

We’re always immensely proud to share the work that we do—whether that’s giving Senator Blumenthal a tour of our new facilities, sharing our story in the CT Post, or discussing available programs with new families. 

Maybe you caught recent segments on News 12 about our Health Center opening and its upcoming dental expansion. We’re proud that our community sees the ways that we care and recognizes Hall Neighborhood House as a valuable local resource, and we’re thankful for opportunities to share our story. 

We take pride in our physical space.

Our building is the heart and soul of our community. We know that it will continue to take care of us if we are diligent about taking care of it—and we look forward to expanding our space over the next few years to serve even more families. 

Our friends at the Trumbull Rotary Club are instrumental partners in keeping our building looking great. Their ongoing donations of garden beds, landscaping services, and time keep Hall Neighborhood House a beautiful and welcoming space. They help lay the groundwork that our community maintains.

And community members of all ages help make our space a welcoming place every single day. Children and seniors alike have taken responsibility for our raised garden beds. The flowers and vegetables are thriving thanks to their hard work! And our older students have contributed incredible artwork to brighten our hallways. Hall Neighborhood House is a source of community pride—a place that we build and care for together.

We commit to our relationships. 

At Hall Neighborhood House, we make a long-term commitment to our neighbors. Our mission is to provide comprehensive services to empower the residents on the East Side of Bridgeport, no matter their stage of life. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we couldn’t gather in person, so we had to get creative to meet our commitments. When our community couldn’t come to us, we brought safe, socially distanced support to them.

Our incredible staff delivered over 2,000 bags of groceries and over 400 meals to seniors’ homes, helping to make sure that no one went hungry. They also livened up quarantine by delivering activity kits for students.

As the public health situation improved we worked to find ways to welcome students into the building safely, allowing them to access the internet and attend online school with few distractions. 

This year, we are celebrating 135 years in Bridgeport. That’s over a century of caring for our community, meeting its diversity of needs with intentionality and respect. You, too, can join this community of care by making a gift today. By doing so, you are contributing to the community we are proud to call our own.

Hall Neighborhood House will participate in a national study of early care classrooms

Hall Neighborhood House will participate in a national study of early care classrooms

Hall Neighborhood House is proud to have been selected for a very important childcare study funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

The “Variations in Implementation of Quality Interventions (VIQI): Examining the Quality Child Outcomes Relationship in Child Care and Early Education” study focuses on children’s experiences in early care and education programs across the country. Researchers are studying how classroom quality supports learning in order to understand what classroom conditions lead to improved educational outcomes for students. They will also be looking at interactions between children and teachers. We are very excited to take part in this important research!

“Participating in this study allows our teachers to receive additional professional coaching in implementing effective curriculum in their classroom,” said Hector Burgos, Hall Neighborhood House’s Director of Early Childhood Programs. “We continue to find ways to improve our programming so we can provide high-quality care to the families we serve in our community.”

The results of the VIQI project will be used to inform research, policy developments, and programmatic improvements for childcare programs across the nation.

As participants in the second phase of this study (the first, a pilot phase, concluded in 2019) we have access to extensive resources and support, including a financial stipend. Our teachers will be testing promising curricula, taking advantage of increased professional development opportunities, and attending teacher training led by experts in the field. This is an incredible opportunity for Hall Neighborhood House, and we look forward to seeing the benefits for our teachers and students!

To learn more about the study visit https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/variations-implementation-quality-interventions-examining-quality-child-outcomes

What’s Happening at Hall: November

What’s Happening at Hall: November

The holiday season is a busy time for all of us—but it’s also a time for us to give back, practice generosity, and care for our community.

In the coming months, we are hosting our annual toy drive for children and students, celebrating the international day of giving on Giving Tuesday, and helping our neighbors have a very happy Hall-i-days!

When you make a gift to Hall Neighborhood House this winter, you’re giving more than just a present a child can unwrap. You’re helping us spread joy, encouragement, and opportunity in our neighborhood.

Thank you for your partnership. We are grateful to share this season of celebration and generosity with you!

Bob Dzurenda
Executive Director

Celebrate the Hall-i-days with this season’s toy drive

Help us give every child at Hall Neighborhood House a very happy Hall-i-days!
Contribute to our annual toy drive by dropping off new, unwrapped toys at Hall—or making a donation to help us purchase toys for the awesome kids in our community!

Learn more, sign up, and get all the details about how to purchase and deliver your gift.

Register for our Holiday Hoops tournament!

Spread the word! Our Holiday Hoops basketball tournament for students in grades 5-8 is happening from December 27-30! Registered teams are guaranteed at least 3 games and each player will receive a t-shirt! The entry fee is $100 per team. Local dance or cheerleading teams are also invited to perform during the tournament!

Contact Tournament Director Rick Sherrod at 203-673-7632 or kg2rd4@optonline.net to learn more or sign up.

Trunk-or-Treat

We celebrated Halloween in style, thanks to so many amazing community volunteers! Through candy donations, candy distribution at the event, and amazing costumes, you all showed up for the kids in our community, giving them an unforgettable Trunk or Treat experience. Thank you for contributing to this spectacularly spooky event!

A visit from Earthplace

This October, we had some very special visitors from Earthplace! Our students got to see and interact with animal ambassadors, then they learned about the importance of taking care of our shared home. Thank you to Earthplace for teaching us about our environment and introducing us to new reptile and mammal friends!

Project playground update

Our new playground set has arrived! Thank you to everyone who contributed to help give our kids the safe, fun playground they deserve. Our students play hard—and they are going to love exploring this brand new play set.

Volunteer at Hall

We are grateful for our volunteers! Thank you to the incredible members of our community who help our After School Program students with homework, serve our seniors, and keep our facilities looking great. Learn how you can get involved at hallneighborhoodhouse.org/volunteer