The young people of our community are the future of our society. Our goal as parents, educators, and social service providers is to help our youth grow into becoming strong, caring adults who will help make the community better for all. Achieving this goal has never been more challenging than it is today.
To help meet those challenges, we provide a range of youth programs, beginning in early childhood and continuing through high school.
HKYFS is here to support your family’s behavioral health needs and serves as a central hub committed to helping families find services in the area. Please reach out to our office for resources and support. Confidential counseling services are available for children and adolescents in Haddam and Killingworth.
HKYFS is here to support you and your family with connection to surrounding resources and referrals to meet need.
Our team believes your mistakes and experiences do not define you and every youth and family have unique circumstances and thus deserve unique and individualized support.
We are here to support juvenile cases, self-referrals for community case management, and truancy issues. Our goal is to help turn challenges into opportunities for growth and a better future. The HK Community Support Team offers three distinct services to HK youth and families.
Collaboratively Meeting Community Challenges
The HK Coalition meets to share insights into everyday issues and challenges facing the community and to collaboratively develop plans, policies, and strategies to meet those challenges. Issues addressed include alcohol and drug abuse, vaping and marijuana use, and mental health needs and concerns.
The group includes parents and young people, as well as representatives from businesses, the media, law enforcement, schools, faith organizations, health care providers, youth-focused agencies, and town leadership. We welcome all residents willing to help build and better our community.
Seen, Valued, and Heard
Prevention programs promote “protective factors”—things in a child or teen’s environment that support their development toward becoming healthy adults. These factors include positive relationships with others, coupled with positive learning and growth opportunities. These impact the young person’s perspective and make them less likely to engage in risk-taking or risk-compromising behaviors.
Prevention work doesn’t happen in a silo. It’s the work of a whole community—parents, schools, and faith and civic leaders—all reinforcing the message to youth that they are seen, valued and heard.
Promoting Positive Mental Health
These ninth-grade to twelfth-grade students take on the mission to make a difference to the overall health of the young people in Haddam, Killingworth, Higganum, and neighboring communities.
Ignite gives participants the opportunity to recognize needs and connect with other groups to promote positive mental health and to address issues, such as substance abuse. Ignite gives youth a platform to identify issues and take action to create positive change.
This is done through creating public service announcements, informative community events, community service and networking opportunities, and much more.
The Ignite Youth Group meets once or twice a month to plan, create, and, most important, have fun!
These ninth-grade to twelfth-grade students take on the mission to make a difference to the overall health of the young people in Haddam, Killingworth, Higganum, and neighboring communities. Join us!
The HK Mentoring program is a partnership with RSD17 and HKYFS. This program connects children in our community with caring and supportive adult mentors. Through mentoring you will be a role model and provide support by listening, engaging, and forging new friendships. Mentors meet with a student for one hour a week at the student’s school.
To become an adult mentor, email Patty at mentoringprogram@hkyfs.org
To nominate your child to become a part of this program, contact your student’s principal.
Education across all ages serves to inform individuals about risk factors and empower them to establish protective measures that combat those risks.
We are all in this together. No meaningful change is made without connections through open and honest conversations. We want the voices in our community to be heard, and people to feel safe and supported.
Ongoing commitment to our community to encourage sustained unity, understanding, and respect.
