“I just wanted to say how much I appreciate PBC. I am a foster parent of an eleven-year-old girl. Before her visit to Blairstown she was timid, had low self-esteem, and didn’t communicate much with my husband and me. Now she has built up confidence and self-esteem, which allows her to communicate with us. Also, she cannot stop taking about how her facilitator Alexis encouraged her to try new things and empowered her fellow sisters to do the same. ”

— Allison James, Founder of Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc. and Newark Public School Board Member

Our Track Record

Evidence-Based Programs

The Blairstown Campus served as one of the original test sites for the American Camp Association's Youth Outcomes Battery, a statistically-validated instrument designed to measure 11 common youth outcomes. The students who participated in the survey scored at or above the national norms for teamwork, perceived competence, responsibility, risk-taking, and connectedness to the natural world. The Center uses a shorter version of this nationally-recognized outcomes tool for students who engage in programs of three or more days. We also utilize a companion teacher/chaperone survey. Both sets of survey results are utilized by program managers during supervision with facilitators to provide specific feedback and improve performance. The Center’s management and Board Program Committee review the results annually to better inform our work and influence our logic models.

After a group completes their stay at the Center, all staff who worked on the program engage in a program debrief meeting to share program, safety, and logistical challenges and successes. This allows staff members to quickly assess and implement any quality improvements to our programs on a real-time basis.

Summer Bridge Data

More than 90% of chaperones and teachers report that their students improve their social-emotional and 21st Century skills after a week of Summer Bridge programming. From 2017-2022 (no data available for 2020 due to COVID-19), on average, students demonstrated the following improvements according to their teachers/chaperones:

87% demonstrated improved teamwork skills.
85% demonstrated improved leadership skills.
86% demonstrated improved problem-solving skills.
80% demonstrated an improved appreciation of the natural world.

Over 90% of the students were eligible for free (families with incomes at or below 130% of the poverty level) or reduced (families with incomes between 130% and 185% of the poverty level) meals.

Click here to see the most recent Summer Bridge Program outcomes for students and teachers.

For more information on outcomes of PBC programs and other resources, please contact Maren Morsch.