This new collaboration unites local stakeholders under a focused initiative to extend the social and emotional learning (SEL) and RULER work underway within the Bridgeport Public Schools into the Bridgeport Early Childhood space. Partners include: Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, All Our Kin, Action for Bridgeport Community Development, Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition, Bridgeport Prospers, Bridgeport Public Schools, Bridgeport School Readiness Council, Cooperative Educational Services, The Consultation Center at Yale, Housatonic Early Childhood Laboratory School and YMCA.

Bridgeport Early Childhood SEL Initiative

Bridgeport Public Schools SEL Initiative
A partnership between the Bridgeport Public Schools, Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition at RYASAP, Optimus Healthcare, Parent Leadership Training Institute, Southwest Community Health Center, The Consultation Center at Yale, and Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, now going into its sixth year. This Initiative seeks to sustain the results they have achieved to date, expand the number of partners carrying out this work, and continue to enhance SEL efforts, including RULER and Restorative Practices, within the District and the community at-large.

Catholic Academy of Bridgeport
The four campuses of the Catholic Academy of Bridgeport provide approximately 900 students in grades PreK to 8th grade a Christ-centered, academically rigorous learning environment, where cultural diversity is welcomed and celebrated. Students are nurtured, encouraged, and challenged in preparation for a successful life of leadership and service. Over the next year, Catholic Academy will strengthen its use of RULER across all campuses and continue to support their staff, teachers, students, and families to develop their social and emotional skills.

Horizons Bridgeport Initiative
Out of school time providers Horizons at Greens Farms Academy (HGFA) and Horizons at Sacred Heart University (HSHU), with support from Horizons National and Social Venture Partners CT, are collaborating to establish Horizons Bridgeport. With a goal to serve 1,000 PreK to 12th grade Bridgeport students by 2027, they plan to scale the current efforts of the individual programs by working collaboratively to share best practices and optimize resources.

New Beginnings Family Academy
New Beginnings Family Academy (NBFA), a public charter school in Bridgeport, provides nearly 500 students in PreK to 8th grade a meaningful, high-quality education through experience-based learning that helps develop essential social, emotional, and critical-thinking skills. Through a shared vision of progressive education, NBFA equips students to be creative, collaborative, deep thinkers, and problem solvers with the social, emotional, and intellectual wherewithal for sustained success in the global community.