history
Our services have evolved to meet
the needs of the Denver community
for over 100 years...
and this year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Florence Crittenton School!
The Florence Crittenton School actually started as a home for unwed mothers called the Florence Crittenton Home. By 1981, the community no longer had a need for a home where unwed pregnant women lived, secluded from society, until they gave birth and put their babies up for adoption. Girls were keeping their babies, and the community needed a school where teen mothers received support, academic education and the parenting skills needed to raise a healthy family. The Florence Crittenton School was created in 1984 through a collaboration with Denver Public Schools, the Junior League and the Colorado Department of Health. Two couples and a single mother attended those first classes in 1984 in Baker Middle School, as part of the Teen Parent Education Network (TPEN).
Today, Parent Pathways provides a high school curriculum, counseling and parenting support for teen mothers at the florence Crittenton School; a Qualistar-rated Early Learning Center for their babies; and a Young Fathers Program providing counseling and educational support for young fathers.
Our supportive and dedicated staff assists each young family and client individually, helping them to change the cycle and develop their pathway to stability and future success.
...healthy self-sufficient families building strong communities
Parent Pathways (formerly known as Human Services Inc.) was formed in 1975 from the merger of three historic programs: Family and Children's Service, Florence Crittenton Services and Travelers Aid. These programs have roots that go back to some of Denver's first social service programs.
1874
Family and Children's Service has its origins in the Ladies Relief Society, a program formed in 1874 to help with food, shelter and sanitation for the poor. The Ladies Relief Society evolved into a number of other programs as the needs of the community changed. The last major change occurred in 1953 when the Children's Aid Society and Family Welfare Service merged to form a single program, Family and Children's Service, to meet the psychological needs of families as a result of environmental stresses. Outpatient mental health counseling was offered for many years with fees charged on a sliding scale based on income.
1893
Florence Crittenton Services was started in 1893 as a home for young, poor, single women to help prevent them from falling into negative behaviors such as prostitution and drug abuse. The Florence Crittenton Home in Denver was started by Charles Crittenton, a wealthy philanthropist who began similar programs in many U.S. cities in memory of his daughter. Florence Crittenton evolved into a home where unwed women went to live during their pregnancy and deliver their babies who were subsequently put up for adoption.
1907
Travelers Aid began in Denver as a YWCA program in 1907 to help women traveling alone; it soon became a separate agency that helped the traveler by networking with other Travelers Aid programs across the country. Travelers Aid had booths at the train station and airport at one time. Travelers Aid evolved into SPIRIT (Supporting People In Resettlement and In Transition) with the addition of other emergency and transitional services, such as food and shelter. Consistent with the focused mission described below, Parent Pathways has stopped providing long-distance transportation and emergency services and now offers housing in our Housing Services and provide life skills training, and resources to help young families develop and implement plans to achieve long-term self-sufficiency.
1975
The Center for Adolescent and Family Support opened in 1975 and became part of the merged organization. In 1996 the Adolescent Center, which was originally a coed program, became a residential treatment center for teen girls removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or family conflict. This program and its facility were sold to Arapahoe House in 2002 after Parent Pathways narrowed its mission to focus on helping teen parents raise healthy families.
1979
Two earned income services grew out of the counseling program. The agency started offering an Employee Assistance Program about 1979, and an Interpreter Referral Program that provided sign language interpreters for deaf and hard of hearing individuals in 1992. These programs were also sold to organizations for which they were a better mission fit in 2001 and 2002 respectively.
1981
Florence Crittenton Services underwent a major change in 1981 when the "Home" closed its doors in response to the changing needs of the community. The Florence Crittenton School was then created through a collaboration with the Denver Public School District (DPS) and other community organizations to help teen mothers continue their education and earn credits toward a high school diploma, learn about child development, build parenting skills, and access other resources to raise healthy families. Today the School provides a middle school and high school curriculum and offers an on-site learning center for the babies of the teen mothers who attend the School.
1994
Services tailored to meet the needs of young fathers were started in 1994. Young Fathers Services was created to help young men learn parenting skills, complete their education, and prepare for employment so they can emotionally and financially support their children. These services were started in response to requests from young fathers who could not find resources in our community to gain the education, employment readiness, and parenting skills they needed. Parent Pathways was one of the first not-for-profit organizations in the country to develop services for young fathers. We were privileged in 1998 to be selected as one of ten agencies in the United States to be part of a project sponsored by the Ford Foundation to partner with Child Support Enforcement and provide services to young fathers to strengthen fragile families.
Parent Pathways also helps young families better understand financial management issues and learn about credit, banking and budgeting. Low-cost loans are available as needed to help our young families overcome burdens that might cause a parent to drop out of school or quit working.
2001
The Parent Pathways Board of Directors embarked on a strategic positioning process in 2001 that resulted in a focused mission: to help teen parents raise healthy families. Parent Pathways is building on its core competencies, providing teen parents with case management and the services needed to obtain a high school diploma, set goals, and implement plans to achieve long-term self-sufficiency. We work with each young family from a holistic, strength-based perspective, facilitating the parent's ability to define and create a healthy, successful family.
2005
To better communicate our focused mission: To help teen parents raise healthy families, the Board of Directors voted to change the name of the corporation from Human Services Inc. to Parent Pathways. This new name was effective April 17, 2005, 30 years after the merger that created Human Services Inc.
2006
Parent Pathways embarked on a strategic planning process in early 2006, identifying enhancements needed to our current services for teen parents and their families. We are also working to quantify the need in the Denver metropolitan area to help even more teen parents and their families lead productive futures.
2009
Parent Pathways graduated a record 41 students in May 2009, the year the Florence Crittenton School turned 25.
Current Services
Parent Pathways offers a spectrum of wraparound services to the entire teen family. The agency provides a high school education for pregnant and parenting teens through the Florence Crittenton School, operated in partnership with Denver Public Schools. The School has a capacity of approximately 175 pregnant or parenting teens at any given time, all taking academic and elective courses to earn credit toward obtaining a DPS diploma while learning parenting and other life skills.
Many teen mothers attending the School have access to an on-site, licensed Early Learning Center for their babies that can accommodate 70 babies at a time aged six weeks to two years.
Parent Pathways also provides a continuum of care to fathers in our Young Fathers Program, encouraging them to maintain healthy relationships with their babies and the mothers. We help them earn their GED or high school diploma, build their skills in obtaining and retaining employment, acquire transitional housing, build their home maintenance skills, and learn how to better manage their finances.