• Mother and Child Literacy

Caroline House promotes family literacy.
Recognizing that the parent is the child's
first teacher and that reading is the child's
first subject, staff and volunteers work
together to produce a strong family literacy
program. Eighty percent of our
programming addresses this issue.

While mothers learn English, the children
attend our preschool. Through this program,
Caroline House addresses the achievement
gap that exists in Connecticut among
economically disadvantaged children.
This gap is the highest in the country
(Teach for America 2008) especially among
Hispanic children. Low socio-economic status
as well as lack of English skills leads to
a 65-75% lower achievement result by fifth
grade (The National Task Force on Early
Childhood Education for Hispanics, June 2007).

Through the efforts of Caroline House, 100% of our preschool graduates are accepted into English speaking kindergartens. This placement is associated with increased educational development.

In addition, over time when we measure our women's improvement, their progress shows notably increased proficiency in English skills. Our mother and child literacy program is the only one of its kind in the area.

• Life Skills

• Financial Literacy

• Budgeting

• Parenting

• Tenant's Rights and Responsibilities

• Interview Techniques

• Health and Nutrition

• Domestic Violence

• Immigration Issues

• Tutoring

After School programs provide constructive support for inner city children, helping them acquire positive expectations for themselves. Caroline House offers one-on-one tutoring in math, grammar and reading comprehension in both our after school and summer programs for inner city youth.

• Educational Programs

• Mother and Child Literacy

• English as a second language (ESL)

• Preschool Program

• Computer Skills

• Life Skills

• Pre-literacy Classes

• Conversation and Writing Skills

• Citizenship Tutoring

• After School Tutoring Programs

• Summer Education Program

• Setting/Staffing

Classes take place in a warm, comfortable, nurturing environment. The class size is small for the purpose of providing individual attention during instruction time and in the computer labs. Caroline House is staffed by professional teachers and volunteers.

• Location

Located on the East Side of Bridgeport, Caroline House is within walking distance for many women who attend classes and is convenient to local bus lines.