Each year, Neighbors Link serves over a thousand immigrants with programs to strengthen families and support their development. The Neighbors Link Family Center is a high energy hub for three main areas of learning: 1) parent education; 2) early childhood development and academic support for children; and 3) gateway for linking families to related community resources.

The Family Center Philosophy:

• Parents are their child’s first teachers
• Bicultural children benefit from parenting that respects both cultures
• Bicultural children benefit from a community that includes, supports, and celebrates the values and culture of their family.

The goals of the Family Center are:

• To support parents in preparing their children to be school-ready, excited to learn and able to reach their full potential;
• To close the achievement gap between immigrant children and their peers;
• To ensure all children graduate from high school and are college-bound or career-ready.

Family Center Programs

Parent Child Together

Our Parent-Child Together program is designed for parents with children from birth to age 4. The focus is on positive parenting skills, early childhood development and school readiness. In a group setting, parents are provided with facilitated peer-to-peer learning opportunities. Classes are structured and include circle time, reading and music and movement, during which children learn colors, shapes, letters, numbers, and pre-literacy concepts.

Learning Links

Our growing “Learning Links” after-school program provides rigorous academic support and enrichment to 75 children of low-income families, onsite at the Mount Kisco Elementary School.

Summer Links

Presented in partnership with Mount Kisco Elementary School and the Boys and Girls Club, our “Summer Links” program focuses on academics including math and reading, as well as enrichment activities for over 100 children of low-income families.

Parents As Teachers Collaboration

Parents As Teachers (PAT) is an effective curriculum for parents of preschool children. Through this collaborative program with the Bedford Central School District, families receive one-on-one home visits and group parenting sessions at Neighbors Link.

The curriculum focuses on positive parenting, early childhood literacy and school readiness; it is specifically designed for families that have not had access to educational or economic opportunities.

Pipeline Scholars Program

The Pipeline Scholars Program is designed to help at-risk students and their parents make the transition from elementary to middle school and high school. The families involved have all agreed to be guided together as a group, from 6th through 12th grade, by a collaboration involving Neighbors Link, the Bedford Central School District, the Mount Kisco Police Department and the Boys & Girls Club. All partners are committed to mentoring the students to a successful high school graduation.

Family Night Program

Twice monthly, immigrant famlies gather at Neighbors Link for a communal meal, social networking and community-building opportunities. The evenings include workshops on topics critical to their success such as navigating the school system, healthy families and financial literacy.

Family Support Services

Our Family Support Services program provides medical, legal and social service assistance and referrals that connect families and individuals to community-based resources to address critical needs and provide vital solutions to help stabilize their lives in times of crisis.

Family Health Day

Neighbors Link, in partnership with Northern Westchester Hospital and Open Door Family Medical Centers, presents an annual Family Health Day that attracts more than 400 members of the immigrant community, providing access to diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure testing, eye exams, flu shots and additional medical and wellness information and resources.

Children’s Evening Program

While parents attend evening classes at Neighbors Link, their children are provided supervised learning and enrichment activities in nearby classrooms.