Build-a-Bridge

Build-a-Bridge™ strengthens connections between children and families to health care professionals and community resources. This helps encourage better overall health and well-being.

Our Community Health Workers (CHWs) can work with you to support your child & family. They can help you tackle barriers to care, bridge connections to pediatricians, link to community resources, prepare for well-child appointments, and discuss the importance of developmental screenings including what to do if concerned.

Need diapers? We can help!

Diaper pick-ups are available for those who have a financial need at Martin Luther King Community Center at 5565 Truman Dr., Fort Worth the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month. Registration is required to receive diapers.Click here to register for diapers

Submit a request for our team to contact you

Submit a request for services

Once a form is submitted you will be contacted to discuss your specific needs.

If you have any questions or would like information about our program, please email build-a-bridge@cookchildrens.org.

Video resources

Raising Healthy Kids | Why My Child Needs Regular Checkups || ACEs | Cook Children's

Raising Healthy Kids | Why my child needs regular check ups

If my child is not sick, why would I take them to the doctor? That’s a great question! Having a primary care pediatrician, or medical home, that you trust is important for your child’s overall health and well-being. In this video you will learn how often you need to take your baby or child to the doctor.

Raising Healthy Kids | What to Expect at a Checkup || ACEs | Cook Children's

Raising Healthy Kids | What to expect at a check up

If my child is not sick, why would I take them to the doctor? That’s a great question! Having a primary care pediatrician, or medical home, that you trust is important for your child’s overall health and well-being. In this video you will learn what to expect during these appointments and how your doctor can be a helpful resource for you as your child grows.

Play in early childhood: the role of play in any setting

In this video, learn more about how play can foster children's resilience to hardship, and how the complex interactions involved when children play help build their brains.

How to parent a teen from a teen’s perspective

A teen’s opinion on parenting from stereotypes and experience. This talk teaches parents about technology, teen emotions, and types of parents, all from a teen’s perspective.

What to do when your child has a tantrum (at home)

Ah, the dreaded temper tantrum. They’re no fun, but they are a normal part of childhood, and parenting. Cook Children's pediatrician and mom, Dr. Christina Sherrod, shares why kids have tantrums, when they'll outgrow them, and what to do when your child is having one.

What to do when your child has a tantrum (in public)

Temper tantrums are stressful, especially when you're out in public, like shopping or at a social or family gathering. Cook Children's pediatrician and mom, Dr. Christina Sherrod, has some tips to help you manage your child's meltdown.

Self-Regulation – Tips for teaching your child to remain in a calm state and maintain body control

Self-regulation is learned during everyday activities and interactions with others. Young children learn to regulate their thinking, behaviour and emotions. Children who engage in intentional self-regulation are able to learn more easily. You can help your child to remain in a calm, alert state by having a predictable routine.

Parenting tips- what is positive discipline?

What is positive discipline? Watch as Parents Magazine defines different methods of discipline for some easy parenting tips to try. Discipline means "to teach," and through discipline, your child learns self-control. Positive discipline means you show respect, listen, reward good behavior, and remind your children that you love them when teaching them right from wrong. Negative discipline, such as spanking, leads to fear and low self-esteem.

Caregiver support

What is the Caregiver Alliance?

The Caregiver Alliance is where parents and caregivers can connect, find encouragement and support in order to strengthen families overall wellbeing. We currently offer in person meetings once a month and strive to create a safe, judgement free space for parents and caregivers. A meal and child care is provided at each meeting.

How can I participate?

Contact Julien Ybarra at Julien.Ybarra@cookchildrens.org.

It is never too early to look for a pediatrician that is right for you. Choosing a pediatrician before your baby is born will help you feel confident about your baby's care. Plus, knowing you have chosen the right doctor will help you feel calmer and more in control.

From your baby's long-awaited arrival until those first days of school, you'll be visiting the doctor regularly to make sure that your child is healthy and developing well. These check-ups are essential to ensure appropriate physical and mental development, and to provide vaccinations to prevent serious bacterial and viral illnesses.

You may be wondering:

How often do I need to schedule these appointments?
What will happen at these annual check ups?
What else can pediatricians help me with?

This is why we created the "Raising Healthy Kids" video series so you can hear directly from pediatricians.

Raising Healthy Kids | Why my child needs regular check ups || ACEs

In this video you will learn how often you need to take your baby or child to the doctor.

Raising Healthy Kids | What to expect at a check up || ACEs

In this video you will learn what to expect during these appointments and how your doctor can be a helpful resource for you as your child grows.

Raising Healthy Kids | How to prepare for a check up || ACEs

In this video you will learn what to expect during these appointments and how your doctor can be a helpful resource for you as your child grows.

Milestones matter! Track your child's milestones from age 2 months to 5 years with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) easy-to-use illustrated checklists, get tips from CDC for encouraging your child's development, and find out what to do if you are ever concerned about how your child is developing.

Download the CDC milestone tracking app
"Concerned about development, how to get help for your child" tip sheet
The CDC’s milestone tracker: A demonstration for caregivers

The CDC’s milestone tracker: A demonstration for caregivers

Text "FIND" to 67629 to find information for nearby organizations and agencies offering social services and other support.

TXT4 Tarrant Cares

Help Me Grow - Connect to child development services and other community-based resources within your area.
211 - View information or referrals to local resources. You can also dial (2-1-1) to access this information.
Behavioral Health - Access to behavioral health services and resources.

Meet our team

Breanna Anderson, Program Manager

"It takes a village to raise a child"- this saying is at the heart of how I approach all of our work with Build-a-Bridge. Raising children is the hardest and most important job anyone can take on and I don't believe caregivers should have to do it alone. I have been in the non-profit healthcare sector for 10 years, the majority of that time I have had the pleasure of working directly in the community. I am a proud aunt of 9 nephews and nieces and love getting to see how they thrive when they receive the medical, mental health, and school support they need- but I also see how much advocacy it takes on their parents part in order to ensure they have the opportunity to be their best selves. That's what my hope is for Build-a-Bridge, that we can equip the amazing caregivers in our community with the resources, support, and encouragement they need to help their children thrive.

Julien Ybarra, CHE Program Coordinator

For the last thirteen years I've spent my career in community health roles, working directly with communities, families and people from all walks of life, connecting them to resources and services needed. Focusing in a variety of environments including: homelessness, foster-care, mental health concerns, substance misuse issues and HIV/STI services; the spectrum of roles I've held have made me adept to being able to serve the families and communities where I live and work. Being an uncle, brother, and raised in a single-parent household, this showed me how much work, strength and sacrifice it takes to be a caregiver for children. These experiences led me to focus my education on community health and apply my lived experiences into my professional life. "The beauty of my life is finding people and places that have otherwise been overlooked or forgotten by society. The privilege is, being able to tell their stories."

LaToya Jones, CHW Community Health Worker

I'm a Fort Worth native and have over 16 years experience working with families, children and individuals that require advocacy services. My work, life experiences, as well as my Community Health Worker training, has equipped me for my current role. I understand the difficult circumstances that families face daily. I also ensure that our families and caregivers are supported through everyday stressors, that they feel heard and are able to navigate life’s challenges. My unique interpersonal relationship building capability and family values, have aligned my work into helping build meaningful bonds within my community. My skills have led me to doing what I love — helping others.