The Fuller Center has been a comprehensive, transformational community cornerstone providing quality early education, out of school time, afterschool and summer camp programs for children and in Southern Palm Beach County for 50 years. At our Centers, disadvantaged children and youth experience academic, social, and physical enrichment daily in an environment that encourages creativity and learning. In addition, we provide preventative health and behavioral health screenings and interventions to ensure that children have every opportunity to reach their full potential.
We have two campuses, one in East Boca and one in West Boca. We serve (during normal times) more than 600 children on our campuses every day and more than 900 annually, 6 months - 12 years of age. We serve 1800 meals a day. We are much more than childcare center- we are community care center. We have a team of 7 social workers, who support hard working families living paycheck to paycheck, ensuring their needs are met and that our children go home each night to safe, stable and self-sustaining homes.
We provide a full array of family support services that assist families in accessing economic assistance, provide job training, resume writing, nutrition, parenting, managing on a budget and financial training, support in accessing, food, affordable housing, transportation, health care and other support as needed.
Our families are the service industry “ essential “ workers working for low wages– employed in our hospitals, grocery stores, making deliveries, working in banks, doctor’s offices, and in hotels and restaurants. Our parents are the invisible heroes keeping our local economy open during this very difficult time. They count on us to care for their most important asset- their children. And WE ARE COUNTING ON THEM!
DURING COVID
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the value of quality childcare and deemed us essential workers for our role in caring for the children of our first responders and other essential workers battling the coronavirus. And, yet, we are facing a childcare crisis in this country.
Imagine being called back to work. You call your childcare provider and discover it is out of business. Those still open may well already be at capacity. Who will care for your children when you return to work?
There are about 1.5 million children under age 6 living in Florida. Two-thirds of those children live in homes with either a single working-outside-the-home parent or two working parents. This isn't only about parents having a safe place for their children to go while they work; this is about the future of Florida. Eighty-five percent of brain growth occurs by the time a child is three years old, and high-quality early childhood education, care and development (particularly from birth to age eight) is essential for developing both cognitive and non-cognitive skills.
The Fuller Center is open for business and we are doing our best to manage to keep more than 300 children and 100 staff members safe, well and academically motivated during these uncertain times. We are following the CDC health and safety guidelines which has seriously reduced our capacity and significantly increased our costs, to meet the needs of those counting on us. The center is standing strong because we have a caring and invested community who believe and continue to support our mission.