Waterbury Hospital’s Youth Pipeline Initiatives
Featured Programs
Providing Early Acquaintance with Careers in Healthcare (PEACH)
Since its inception in 2004, Waterbury Hospital’s PEACH Program has engaged administrators, teachers, and students in the Waterbury Public Schools to address the projected shortage of healthcare workers in the area and to close the achievement gap for students in Waterbury Public Schools. Through the program, students engage with healthcare workers in a non-emergency setting and to learn about a variety of healthcare careers available in our community.
Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI)
PLTI’s core mission is to impart leadership and advocacy skills to parents while simultaneously educating them about volunteerism, civic life, and the process by which state and local governments enact and change laws. PLTI is a program of the CT Commission on Children. Since its inception in 2000, hundreds of area parents have been empowered to change their lives and those of their neighbors.
Email aholmes@wtbyhosp.org for information.
Community Outreach
Since the Youth Pipeline Initiative was established in 2001 as a partnership between Waterbury Hospital and Waterbury Public Schools, its mission has remained the same: to close the achievement gap for minority and economically disadvantaged students in Waterbury so they can matriculate and compete nationally for placement in post-secondary education programs in preparation for health careers. We take pride in helping students realize their potential as they embark on their academic and personal journeys. To this end, during 2014 Waterbury Hospital provided over 1,000 students and parents in Greater Waterbury with unique educational programs that enhance the overall welfare of our community.
All programs are offered free-of-charge to participants.
The Youth Pipeline Initiative is a multifaceted series with six focus areas:
Providing Early Acquaintance with Careers in Healthcare (PEACH)
Since its inception in 2004, Waterbury Hospital’s PEACH Program has engaged administrators, teachers, and students in the Waterbury Public Schools to address the projected shortage of healthcare workers in the area and to close the achievement gap for students in Waterbury Public Schools. Through the program, students engage with healthcare workers in a non-emergency setting and to learn about a variety of healthcare careers available in our community.
Spring Break Program
Each spring, over 150 seventh graders from North End Middle School and West Side Middle School take part in a 3-day job shadowing program that includes different departments in the hospital during which students complete hands-on learning activities along our staff. Activities include: a popular CPR certification course, hands-on clinical and surgical activities with medical residents, job shadowing and a museum field trip. Students PEACH tour at Waterbury Hospital, during which they visit at least six hospital departments and complete hands-on learning activities with hospital staff.
Summer Bridge Program
Each summer Waterbury Hospital offers a six-week comprehensive program to mostly inner city middle and high school students. The program offers a rigorous educational curriculum and opportunities for students to explore career options through field trips and learn life skills such as cooking and nutrition. Classes include: English Language Arts, math, vocabulary, PSAT and SAT preparation, civic engagement, healthy eating, team building, journaling, poetry and job shadowing.
Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI)
PLTI’s core mission is to impart leadership and advocacy skills to parents while simultaneously educating them about volunteerism, civic life, and the process by which state and local governments enact and change laws. PLTI is a program of the CT Commission on Children. Since its inception in 2000, hundreds of area parents have been empowered to change their lives and those of their neighbors.
Parents Supporting Educational Excellence (PSEE)
Parents Supporting Educational Excellence is a civics leadership initiative providing strategies and tools to prepare parents, grandparents and guardians to build leadership skills. The focus is to enable change in educational policies and practices through partnerships with schools, thus improving education for all children PSEE is a program of the CT Commission on Children and the CT Center for School Change.
People Empowering People (PEP) offered in Spanish and Albanian
The People Empowering People Program is a personal and family development program with a strong community focus. The program builds upon individual life experiences and strengths to encourage growth in communication and problem solving skills, parent/family relationships and community involvement. PEP is a program of the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System. Waterbury Hospital host’s the state’s only PEP program in the Albanian language to better serve a growing Albanian population in the area.
Children’s Leadership Training Institute (CLTI)
In 2015, 18 school age children participated in the inaugural program. Students in the program worked in conjunction with parents in the Parents Leadership Training Institute to learn about civic and community involvement, leadership skills, teamwork and self discovery.
For more information about the Youth Pipeline Initiatives, please contact the Community Outreach Department at (203) 573-7012 or by email at grants@wtbyhosp.org.
Angela R. Holmes, M.Ed
Community Outreach Coordinator
Summer Bridge Program Director
Community Outreach and Grants Department
aholmes@wtbyhosp.org (203) 573-7012