Since World War II, the Jack & Jill Center has served on the front-lines of early childhood education in Broward. Now after decades of helping local children and their families, Jack & Jill is launching an exciting new chapter with construction of its Madelaine Halmos Academy.
Community Foundation of Broward President/CEO Jennifer O’Flannery Anderson, Ph.D., recently got a firsthand look at the new 24,000-square foot elementary school being built adjacent to Jack & Jill’s existing early education center. The new academy makes room for another 220 children to receive Jack & Jill’s high-quality early education and family programming.
The state-of-the-art school opening this year will feature 12 classrooms, an art and science lab, music and media rooms, an outdoor classroom, and a wellness room. The academy will provide year-round educational services to kindergarten through fifth grade students. It also expands access to Jack & Jill’s family programming, which helps break the cycle of poverty in Broward.
During her visit to Jack & Jill, Jennifer learned more about the new HEALTH Program. HEALTH, which stands for Helping Everyone Achieve Long Term Health, provides comprehensive and integrated health services in collaboration with community resources for the children, families and faculty at the Madelaine Halmos Academy. The program incorporates comprehensive health assessments, preventative health care and community partnerships – following the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model designed by the Centers for Disease Control.
The Community Foundation is proud to be a long-time supporter of Jack & Jill. Thanks to our dedicated Fundholders, more than $1.5 million in Community Foundation grants through the years have helped fuel Jack & Jill’s mission to make life better for Broward’s children and their families.
The Gene and Collette Herman Family Fund, the Kiwanis Club of Fort Lauderdale Charitable Fund, and the Lou and May Jean Wolff Family Fund are just a few of the charitable Funds at the Foundation that support Jack & Jill’s important work for Broward’s children and their families.
“It’s exciting to see Jack & Jill’s new building and see their program growing, with the help of local philanthropy,” Jennifer said. “I can’t wait to come back and see kids making the most of these dynamic new facilities.”
To learn how you can support Broward children and families with a charitable Fund at the Community Foundation, contact Vice President of Philanthropic Services Nancy Thies at nthies@cfbroward.org or 954-761-9503.
