On November 8, 2024 underneath a tent in San Juan, Puerto Rico, an audience was filled with smiles as a group of small children took center stage to perform. The kids were all members of The Foundling’s Head Start program, which serves children and families in the early stages of life. Their song was just one component of a two-part service day and re-opening event, held during the week-long SOMOS conference.

The conference itself brought together Foundling staff alongside elected officials and nonprofit executives from across New York and Puerto Rico. It was a bustling, high-energy week; attendees from across the metropolitan region spent time exchanging ideas in workshops and conversations, with the shared goal of improving services for local communities.

Friday morning’s event started with a hurricane readiness packet giveaway for the approximately 140 children and their families who receive services at The Foundling’s John Cardinal O’Connor center in San Juan at a celebration of the center’s official re-opening. The center had to be renovated following significant damage sustained during Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The $4.5 million project – which unfolded in two major phases over the course of about two years – culminated in a state-of-the-art complex that will better meet the needs of the children, families, and communities The Foundling supports.

Speakers at the event included Foundling President and CEO Melanie Hartzog along with elected officials including City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, State Senator Robert Jackson, City Council Member Rita Joseph, and Puerto Rico Representative Eddie Charbonier. There was a blessing from Fr. Nicolás Colacho Navarro as well as a ribbon cutting and additional blessing of the new center by Fr. Enrique Camacho, director of Caritas Puerto Rico. The Foundling also welcomed State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, Catholic Charities, and families who receive services at the center.

The Head Start and Early Head Start program at the O’Connor site provides opportunities to 141 children as well as five expectant mothers. There are a total of 13 classrooms; three for Head Start and ten for Early Head Start. The facility also doubles as a storm shelter, complete with a kitchen, shower and a washer/dryer that are available to the community during hurricanes or other emergencies. The center’s reinforced concrete structure was designed to withstand both hurricanes and earthquakes, and solar panels were installed to provide electricity in the event of an outage. The gamut of renovations is a physical manifestation of The Foundling’s commitment to respond to the needs of the communities they support.

The Foundling commenced operations in Puerto Rico back in 1973, as a way to continue partnering with families that were returning to the island from New York City. The Head Start and Early Head Start programs arose out of these family services in 1984 and today support more than 1,450 families in 39 centers across five municipalities of Puerto Rico: San Juan, Cataño, Vega Alta, Coamo, and Toa Baja. These programs serve children under the age of five, with a commitment to promote cognitive, social, and emotional growth and foster family well-being.

While the re-opening of the O’Connor Center was the most recent milestone for our Puerto Rico chapter, there are other exciting projects in development: brand new centers are being constructed in Cataño and Coamo. The construction of these centers will expand our reach and enhance the quality of programs that are offered on the island.

The Head Start and Early Head Start programs are uniquely designed to take an in-depth, comprehensive approach to fundamental skill-building. Our services cultivate opportunities to learn a range of subjects, such as linguistics, mathematics, sciences, creative arts, and more. We also assembled a team of social workers, nurses, mental health professionals, and teachers in order to equip families with the tools needed to ensure success for their children upon entering school. If you are interested in learning more about how to support the expansion of this work, please visit the pages for our Head Start and Early Head Start programs.