Staff Join Connecticut Foster Care Service Project at High Road Schools
High Road Schools of Connecticut Begins Year with Service Project
At the High Road Schools of Connecticut, the 2025-2026 school year began with a focus on community and compassion. Staff look forward to the back-to-school orientation to strengthen teamwork and connection. This year, in addition to lighthearted activities like Get to Know You Bingo, the team participated in a meaningful Connecticut foster care service project.
Connecticut Foster Care Service Project Provides Duffel Bags
Team members across Connecticut devoted time to assembling duffel bags for children in foster care. The project was inspired by the knowledge that many children in foster placement face abrupt moves and often transport their belongings in whatever is available, even trash bags.
Staff Share Personal Connections to Foster Care
“Many of us work with students who have experienced foster placement and know the heartbreak of moving their belongings in garbage bags.”
Said Jennifer Johnson, regional director, High Road Schools of Connecticut and B.E.S.T. Academy.
By providing sturdy, personalized bags, the High Road team reflects the heart of the Connecticut foster care service project, sending a clear message of value and dignity to young people during a difficult time.
“Last year, many of our staff were deeply impacted by a high school student who entered foster care and came to us on a Monday, explaining how she left her home and carried her clothes in a garbage bag, making the student feel unvalued,” said Matt Berardesca, senior director of the High Road Schools of Hartford.
Encouraging Messages and Comfort Items for Children in Need
Staff decorated each bag with encouraging messages and included a small stuffed animal to provide comfort during a challenging time. Staff donated more than 10 bags to the Connecticut Department of Families for distribution to children in need.
Mission of High Road Schools in Connecticut
The activity reminded staff of the challenges many students face and the difference care and dignity can provide. It also underscored the mission of High Road Schools: to provide personalized academic, behavioral, and social-emotional support so that every student can reach their full potential.
For more than 25 years, High Road Schools of Connecticut has been committed to providing high-quality education and support for the students and their families.
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