Boys and Girls Country (BGC) is a Christian home for children whose families are in crisis. Located 35 miles northwest of downtown Houston, BGC can accommodate 88 children and college students. Children live on campus in cottages with trained Teaching Parents.
Founded in 1971, BGC addresses a child’s well-being, helping to break the cycle of poverty for their children by providing a secure, stable, Christian home environment with an emphasis on education, building healthy relationships and setting goals for the future. BGC does this with broad-based financial support, hundreds of volunteers and the prayers of thousands.
After family and God, education is one of the most emphasized values at BGC. Children are assessed at admission to determine their education level and to identify any special learning needs. Educational deficits and challenges are addressed through after-school tutoring and remediation in the Education Lab, which is open during the school year as well as the summer. BGC had 10 high school graduates, 2 college graduates and a campus GPA of 3.32 in 2021.
Most of the children who arrive at BGC have suffered from abuse, neglect, loss or other emotional trauma. Staff at BGC closely monitor the emotional health of each of the children and provide necessary resources to help children overcome the adversities of their past. BGC provided 570 counseling sessions in 2021 by trauma-informed therapists.
When a child at BGC graduates high school, they can enter the College & Career program, which allows them to have the support they need and a place to call home while becoming an independent adult. The College & Career program provides BGC’s young adults the opportunity to obtain a college degree or technical certificate, enter the military or begin their first job. Through grants and scholarships, students have an opportunity to begin their independent lives debt-free.
BGC achieved national accreditation through the New York-based Council on Accreditation (COA) in 2021. It took BGC 18 months to achieve accreditation and join its place among 2,000 agencies across the country. Organizations pursue accreditation to demonstrate the implementation of best-practice standards in the field of human services. COA evaluated all aspects of BGC’s programs, services, management and administration and awarded high ratings across the categories.
In 2021, 83 children and young adults called BGC home. Five out of seven children placed at BGC came from families experiencing poverty, and the average length of stay was 4.6 years.
Visit Boys and Girls Country at https://boysandgirlscountry.org/
