Courtesy of Rachel Shin

For over two years, ‘r kids Family Center on 45 Dixwell Avenue has been steadily expanding its space and services, ramping up for its forthcoming June 24 ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

‘r kids is a center for children and families who have been impacted by issues including violence and substance abuse. In 2019, the organization began “Raise the Roof,” a capital campaign aimed at expanding its physical and operational capacity. ‘r kids will stretch into 11,000 extra square feet across two additional floors to accommodate new facilities, including an Infant Toddler Family Trauma Center, an adoption counseling center, an afterschool space for youth residing in foster care (Tracey’s Place), a food pantry and a balcony garden. The center largely funded the expansion with $1.5 million from the Urban Act, a public investment grant, and $1 million from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. The pandemic cancelled all but one fundraiser for the campaign, but construction continued nevertheless.

“I’m really excited about the fact that we are not only growing physically, but that we also have a great plan in regards to the programs that we’re adding to the agency, so we can continue the continuum of care for our most vulnerable families in New Haven,” Enna Garcia, director of programs, said. 

‘r kids has already added a new food pantry to the original operations on the building’s first floor. The food pantry is open to families in the ‘r kids community. This addition was spurred by the pandemic, executive director Randi Rubin Rodriguez said.

The organization is also building a new Infant Toddler Family Trauma Center, also called the Resiliency Center, on the first floor. Resiliency Center staff will work with babies and their parents simultaneously to address traumatic events. Babies will be placed in a therapeutic child care environment that enhances their regulation and ability to express themselves, while their parents learn to increase their parenting capacities. The Resiliency Center uses a multigenerational approach to healing the families with babies under three, Rubin Rodriguez said. The center also features an observation window for parents to view how their children are interacting with and responding to the staff. 

“It takes time for parents to be able to rehabilitate, and in the meantime we have children zero to three who could become very dysregulated,” Garcia said. “[The Resiliency Center] is a great opportunity to expedite this process, where we’ll be able to help parents exercise working towards a goal and also work with the attachment between these young children and their parents.”

On the newly expanded second floor, ‘r kids is creating Tracey’s Place, an afterschool space for youth residing in foster care. Tracey’s Place, which was named after a donor, will include a science sink and a full kitchen, where ‘r kids will hold cooking classes, Rubin Rodriguez said. ‘r kids also plans to integrate Restorative Justice practices into their afterschool programming, she said. Restorative Justice is a model which strikes a balance between permissive and punitive. It propones accountability rather than just punishment. 

The second floor will also house an adoption center, where those interested in adoption can discuss their options with a counselor.

The floor’s main hallway opens onto a balcony which will feature a garden to facilitate rejuvenation.

“I’m very excited about our rooftop garden,” Rubin Rodriguez said. “We’ll have great wood flooring from a local wood floor store, and I think it’s going to be a really zen, peaceful place for parents. Particularly, when you have to relinquish your rights or you’ve had a really hard visit or you just need space, it’ll be beautiful to have a place that’s freeing, with a breeze and beautiful chimes.”

Rubin Rodriguez’s days as a dancer with a Manhattan dance company inspired the garden, she said. Behind her dance studio was a rooftop garden, which was one of the most exciting creative spaces for her as a young person. Hopefully, the ‘r kids garden will be similarly nurturing for ‘r kids families, she said. 

Further down the hall will be a new community training center, built for meetings with foster parents, grandparents raising grandchildren and an assortment of community gatherings. The second floor also contains a new board room and several offices.

“I would love it if any adult adoptees who may read this article were interested in coming over and meeting with me to see how we could start something,” Rubin Rodriguez said. “We could have a pizza night in [the community training center] and have people come by and share their ideas and thoughts.”

‘r kids received its new furniture as a donation from Liberty Bank and the Graustein Memorial Fund. 

The third floor is currently a storage area, and ‘r kids has not yet decided on how they will transform the space. They may install solar panels on the third floor roof in the future, Rubin Rodriguez said. 

The expansion will collect a substantial array of family and child services under one roof.

“The idea is for us to be a safe place and a comfortable space, a one stop shop where parents and children can receive the services they need without having to bounce around to many different facilities or agencies,” Melanie Vitelli, senior social work case manager, said.

‘r kids was founded in 1996.