SOS Children's Village Coconut Creek is located on an eight acre cul-de-sac in Coconut Creek, on the border of Broward and Palm Beach counties Florida. The village is located north-west of the city of Fort Lauderdale, an important seaside resort. Fort Lauderdale is known as America's Venice and has a vast system of canals and waterways. It has about 150,000 inhabitants.
SOS Children's Village Coconut Creek has been open since 1993. The village can provide a home for up to 75 children. Many of them have been given the opportunity to be reunited with their siblings and are able to grow up together in the same family. It consists of twelve family houses, the director's house, a community centre, counselling centre, an administration building and a playground.
The children attend local state schools. After school, they take care of household chores, play outdoors with their friends and study. They also take part in a variety of activities such as scouts, gymnastics, karate, football and play in a band. The children also participate in a summer camp at the Village, which integrates fun and learning during their school holidays.
Children aged 13 years and older attend on-site "independent living skills" classes where they learn about career and educational choices, job application and interviewing, household management and other life skills. At the same time, many of our children receive on-site mental health therapy to help resolve issues related to their traumatic pasts. Young people who no longer live in the village and now live independently in the community also continue to receive support.