Youth Services

9 Elm Street
Vernon
Phone 860-870-3555
Fax 860-870-3556
Email: E-mail Michelle hill

Youth Service Bureau Staff
Michelle Hill, Director
Kim McTighe, Prevention Specialist
Lauren Meares, Youth Program and Prevention Coordinator

Mission Statement: The Vernon Youth Services Bureau is a Town of Vernon Department dedicated to providing:

Program Coordination
Information and Referral
Prevention Services
Early Intervention Services
Resource Development
Community Involvement
Youth Advocacy

Building Success Through Community Collaboration

Youth Services Goals

I. Coordination of Services
Through coordination with local, regional and state services, Vernon Youth Services Bureau will guide youth and their families to needed services such as:

Youth Services Goals

I. Coordination of Services
Through coordination with local, regional and state services, Vernon Youth Services Bureau will guide youth and their families to needed services such as:

Mental Health Counseling
Early Childhood Education Services
Nutrition Programs
Truancy and Family with Service Need Referrals
Education on Youth Issues
Prevention Programs
Substance Abuse Counseling
Juvenile Court Process
Other Services as Requested

II. Community Networking
The Youth Services Bureau takes a leadership role in creating a coordinated network of community services. This goal is accomplished through the YSB involvement and membership on a variety of boards and commissions. Examples include membership on:

Vernon School Readiness Collaborative
Vernon ROCKS Coalition
Vernon Community Network
CT Youth Services Association

III. Youth Services Programs

The Vernon YSB advocates for the healthy development of children, youth and families through providing a variety of programs that focus on preventing problem behaviors. Examples of these programs include:

The Peer Advocate Program, which provides training for Rockville High School students to become role model helpers for their peer group. Peer Advocates work with elementary, middle and high school students in both group and one to one settings. Peer Advocates are trained in an intensive course to provide the following services:

Crisis Intervention
Mentoring
One to One Helping
Tutoring
New Student Tours
Intergenerational Community Programs

The Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program strives to help youth gain employment skills and prepare for their future career through a six week Summer Youth Employment and Learning Program (SYELP). The progam connects qualified Vernon youth, ages 16-24, with career exploration opportunities and paid work experiences during the summer. Participants engage in a week-long session of employment skills training and are then placed at a worksite within the community that matches their career interest.

The After-School Program helps children with healthy development through after-school programming and is an important goal for the Vernon Youth Services Bureau. Through this program, the YSB offers elementary aged youth the opportunity to learn and have fun in a setting that is well-supervised and well-structured. The YSB after-school program is offered at our 9 Elm Street office. Children attending our after-school program will:

Learn social skills
Enjoy recreational activities
Benefit from homework support
Participate in field trips
Assist in community service projects
And much more!

Early Childhood Education
The Youth Services Bureau co-chairs the Vernon School Readiness Collaborative. The Collaborative is responsible for helping the community understand the need to achieve and continuously improve high quality pre-school education programming and smooth transition from pre-school to kindergarten. This is accomplished through coordinating professional development for pre-school teachers. Through its public awareness activities, the Collaborative informs Vernon residents about the importance of high quality pre-school education. Contact our School Readiness Project Manager for more information.