‘r kids Cuts The Ribbon On $5M Expansion

More than 300 people descended on 45 Dixwell Ave. to celebrate a ribbon-cutting on a $5 million, 11,000 square-foot expansion of the ​‘r kids child placement agency.

The ribbon-cutting took place Friday afternoon at ​‘r kids, which has a 56-family contract with the state Department of Children and Families (DCF).

The expansion will allow for the creation of the first-in-the-state baby, infant, and toddler resiliency center with DCF, an expansion of spaces for adoptive parents and adoptees to meet, the ability to offer mental health services, and the space for the enlargement of the after-school program to include boys.

The ribbon-cutting was attended by current Mayor Justin Elicker, Former Mayors Toni Harp and John DeStefano Jr., State Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, State Rep. Gary Winfield, and numerous alders. The event drew double the expected 150 attendees.

‘r kids was founded by the Randi Rubin Rodriguez and Sergio Rodriguez in 1996. It has provided a place to meet for children who have been separated from their parents or families in cases where DCF was involved as well as a place for parents to adopt children. ​‘r kids also hosts a weekday after-school program that focuses on girls who have faced traumatic events in their lives including separation from birth parents or constantly moving through the foster system. 

In 2019, Executive Director RubinRodriguez and the Board of Directors for ​‘r kids decided it was time to expand their 4,000 square feet space to help even more families and children. 

“We did basically everything to fundraise. I beg, borrowed, and — well I didn’t steal, but you get the idea,” Rubin Rodriguez said. ​“I am just overwhelmed by all of the support I have seen today from community members and elected officials.”

Thanks to the expansion, a new wing on the first floor will house the resiliency center. The center is designed as the first-in-the-state for parents and families to meet with their babies, infants, and toddlers who may have been removed from their care. Generally, these families can see the children for only one or two hours a week; the hope is that this center drastically increases the time families can spend with their children. 

The new second floor holds a combination of administrative, adoptive, and community space for staff, families, and children. The floor includes a large community room as well as two larger family meeting rooms that include a kitchen for families to cook for children they may be separated from due to DCF action. The second floor also includes a brand new balcony for children and staff to meet on.

The third floor is currently a storage space but will eventually be converted to a large community hall.