HUGS for Kids began helping parents and children in Palm Beach County in 1988 and expanded into Broward County in 1995. We are one of the largest service providers in a federation of more than 100 independent Exchange Club Child Abuse Prevention Centers in the nation. Our three offices are located in Boynton Beach, Pompano Beach and Lauderdale Lakes. HUGS for Kids has grown from serving 42 families to serving over 4,000 families per year! The mission of HUGS for Kids is to provide Help, Understanding, Guidance and
Support to all children including those with chronic and/or terminal illnesses in an effort to promote health, prevent child abuse/neglect and protect our future by strengthening families and protecting children. Through our family mentoring program as well as providing support services to children with chronic and or terminal illnesses HUGS for Kids provides services to pregnant women and continues to serve families with children up to the age of 13 years old.

Child abuse and neglect occur in all segments of our society, but the risk factors are greater in families in which parents seem to be having economic, housing or personal problems; are isolated from their families or community; have difficulty controlling anger; abuse alcohol or drugs; have little to no education; and were abused or neglected as children (Prevent Child Abuse America, 2003). The vision of HUGS for Kids is to establish programs that are holistic in nature taking into account the child’s physical, cultural, economic, and spiritual environment in which they live.

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