New Beginnings Family Academy Inc
Working Together for Brighter Futures
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
New Beginnings Family Academy (NBFA) was established in 2002 with the purpose of providing a free, high-quality public education to students in Bridgeport and the surrounding area. NBFA is committed to equity in education and helping to close the achievement gap in Connecticut – the difference in academic achievement between students from families of low income and those from families of affluence. Connecticut currently has the widest achievement gap in the nation between the rich and poor, particularly in Fairfield County. NBFA educates 499 students in grades Pre-K – 8, 98% of whom are residents of Bridgeport, with 100% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Bridgeport is one of the poorest cities in the state, and NBFA’s students face significant challenges to their well-being and life success, including a child poverty level more than twice the statewide rate.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Progressive Public Education with Emotionally Responsive Practice, Pre-K – 6
As a progressive public charter school located in Bridgeport, CT, New Beginning Family Academy (NBFA) educates 499 students in grades Pre-K – 6. Established in 2002, NBFA’s mission is to provide students a meaningful, high-quality education through experience-based learning that helps develop essential social, emotional, and critical-thinking skills. This gives all children a foundation to achieve their full potential at every stage of life.
Connecticut currently has the widest achievement gap in the nation between the rich and poor, particularly in Fairfield County. The school’s primary focus has been to help close this gap. Students enter NBFA daily grappling with adult-size stressors such as food insecurity, parent incarceration, and impending eviction – trauma that impedes our students’ learning.
Where we work
External reviews

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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Ethnic and racial groups, At-risk youth
Related Program
Progressive Public Education with Emotionally Responsive Practice, Pre-K – 6
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of students per teacher during the reporting period
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Ethnic and racial groups, At-risk youth
Related Program
Progressive Public Education with Emotionally Responsive Practice, Pre-K – 6
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
NBFA has small class sizes of no more than 20 students per class for Pre-K to Grade 6.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The only public charter school in the state with a Pre-K program and a progressive educational model with emotionally responsive practice, NBFA is proud of its mission: to provide students a meaningful, high-quality education through experience-based learning that helps develop essential social, emotional and critical-thinking skills. This gives all children a foundation to achieve their full potential at every stage of life.
NBFA’s vision is to bring about enduring change in the lives of its students by helping to close the achievement gap – the difference in academic achievement between students of low-income families and their more affluent peers and prepare students for success in high school, college and beyond.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
NBFA’s progressive educational model includes interdisciplinary, project-based, student-centric environments filled with hands-on activities that engage students in creative, investigative, active learning. Through emotionally responsive practice, the emotional, social and cognitive needs of each child are addressed holistically through use of curriculum and through skillful relationship building. NBFA students’ school day includes Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) disciplines integrated throughout the curriculum at all grade levels, interdisciplinary instruction (e.g., social studies and art), a focus on local field trips, and math and reading intervention for those students in danger of falling behind in achievement.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Leveling the playing field for students of low economic means involves providing the supports necessary for their success. NBFA is committed to helping to close the achievement gap and offers its students a progressive approach to education. As part of the school’s progressive educational model, professional development in emotionally responsive practice by experts from the Bank Street College of Education enables staff to get to the heart of the anxieties and emotions that interfere with student learning, helps students be more comfortable and enables them to learn.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
With character-building instruction woven into the curriculum, NBFA offers its students a distinctive track record of success including on-time grade promotion, competitive high school placement, low suspension rate, and robust parent engagement. NBFA is proud of its efforts, particularly in the following areas crucial to student success:
• NBFA is the only charter school in Bridgeport that offers a Pre-K program.
• 100% of NBFA’s students achieved on-time promotion in the 2019-2020 school year.
• Suspension rate for 2019-2020 was maintained at less than 1.5%.
• 75% of NBFA’s 2020 graduating class of 8th graders were accepted at competitive admissions high schools.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
New Beginnings Family Academy Inc
Board of directorsas of 09/22/2023
Donald Foley
Finance Executive
Term: 2016 -
David Schlakman
Development Consultant
Term: 2012 -
LaShea Hall
Parent
Craig Johnson
Environmental Lawyer
Judith Keklik
Reading Specialist
Kevin Knight
Marketing Professional
Mylena Teixeira
Banker
Ronelle Swagerty
CEO, Ex Officio
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/20/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.