Mailing Address:
610 Beverly-Rancocas Road
Willingboro, New Jersey 08046
Phone: 609-261-5400
Fax: 609-261-1824
Program Director: Kristen Tahaney
Program History:
Preteen Promise was designed to address Burlington County's gap in behavioral health, prevention, and positive youth development services for the at-risk preteen population as well as providing much needed gender-specific programming for girls. Due to the fact that we see adolescent female delinquency on the rise in Burlington County, as it is across the country, our focus is on preventing girls from entering the juvenile justice system. Girls are becoming involved in delinquency and high-risk behaviors at younger ages. Because female delinquents are outnumbered by boys in the juvenile justice system, and because girl offenders may seem less dangerous to society, the needs of girls have gone largely unaddressed.
Program Goal:
The goal of Preteen Promise is to improve the interpersonal, emotional, and social skills of at-risk girls, as demonstrated by a reduction of behavioral problems at school, and, ultimately, to prevent their involvement in the juvenile justice system.
Target Population:
Preteen Promise serves middle school girls, ages 11 to 13 years, who have been identified by school personnel as having emotional and behavioral problems or who have an incarcerated parent and/or a sibling involved in the juvenile justice system. Crossroads targets youth who are too behaviorally disruptive and/or emotionally disturbed to be successful in less structured socialization or mentoring programs.
Clinical Approach:
Preteen Promise prepares at-risk girls to meet the challenges of adolescence through activities that develop socialization skills and build character. The programˇ¦s proactive approach to delinquency prevention for girls focuses on creating healthy attitudes, behaviors, and lifestyles, empowers the girls to meet the challenges of life events and transitions, and gives them the skills to help realize their potential.
For girls, the process of forming a mature identity, moral consciousness, and healthy relationships involves the ability to form lasting positive relationships with adults outside of family during preadolescence. Research supports the positive impact on youth of a structured positive therapeutic relationship. However, the key characteristic to success of such programming in terms of its impact is intensity and length of the relationship.
Our gender-specific programming works to boost girls' confidence at the critical point of adolescence, when their self-esteem is at risk of plummeting. This approach deliberately introduces, models, and reinforces strong, positive messages about being female. These messages teach girls that they have options in life, challenging persistent sex-role stereotyping that would have them believe otherwise. When prevention works to uplift an individual girl, her increased health, vibrancy, and competence benefit her larger community.
Program Services:
-Individualized one-on-one life coaching;
-Skill-building and peer support groups;
-Socialization opportunities and cultural events;
-Career and values exploration;
-Role modeling and mentoring.
Through the power of the therapeutic relationship with a "coach", who is trained in the unique developmental needs of preadolescent females, the girls obtain the necessary personal resources to overcome and gain a sense of control over the multitude of family issues, emotional/social deficiencies, and other obstacles in their lives; thereby breaking or avoiding the negative cycle that contributes to the development of high-risk and delinquent behavior. Girls are engaged in individual and group activities for approximately five hours per week and are encouraged to participate for at least one year.
Expected Outcomes & Results:
-Improvement in interpersonal & social skills and emotional competency.
-Reduced behavioral problems and improved attendance at school.
-Lack of involvement in the juvenile justice system.
Program Accessibility:
Preteen Promise's experiential learning and relationship building activities are home and community-based, with transportation provided by staff. Group activities take place in a Crossroads'office. Transportation to this office is provided as needed. Services of the Life Coach are available during the after school hours and in the early evening, along with occasional weekend activities, to ensure the youthˇ¦s availability. Face-to-face contact is supplemented by telementoring, which involves phone and email/internet contact. Also, there is a designated staff person available 24/7 for crisis intervention.
Program Fees:
Preteen Promise is funded by a grant from the United Way of Burlington County with matching funds from our community partners, including Marlin Leasing Corp. The program does not charge a fee to program participants.
