who we are

Crittenton Services has evolved over the last 135 years into school-based programs throughout the Greater Washington area that equip teen girls to overcome obstacles, make positive choices, and achieve their goals.

Through our programs, teen girls learn to value their gifts and develop essential life skills. Most importantly, they attain a belief in their ability to succeed.

For three decades, the results have been life-changing: the girls in our programs are staying in school, avoiding pregnancy, graduating from high school, and going on to college and jobs. Unlike an organization in the DMV, Crittenton boasts a 98% satisfaction rate among our program participants year after year as proven by our extensive data collection model.

Crittenton Services of Greater Washington is one of the longest-standing organization serving teen girls.

Why we’re WALKING

The Centers for Disease Control reported in 2021 that 3 in 5 teen girls in the U.S. are experiencing:

sadness

violence

hopelessness

This is a 60% increase since 2019

double that of boys.

what are the root causes of this increase?

According to Bright Path Behavior Health…

  • Social media and peer pressure

    • Constant exposure to curated images of idealized beauty, success, and happiness leads to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.

  • academic pressure and performance anxiety

    • In the relentless pursuit of perfection, many girls experience heightened levels of stress and anxiety, fearing failure and disappointing their parents or teachers.

  • exposure to violence in media and society

    • The normalization of violence in popular culture desensitizes them to its impact, desensitizing them to its consequences and leading to a higher likelihood of aggressive behavior and conflict resolution through violence.

  • trauma and adverse childhood experiences

    • Abuse, neglect, or witnessing domestic violence are traumatic events that have a profound and lasting impact on their mental and emotional well-being and correlate to violent behavior as a survival mechanism.

TOGETHER, WE CAN ensure every teen girl feels safe, seen, and supported.

it’s time to mobilize and take action.

  • parents/caregivers

  • schools and educators

  • community members and organizations

  • healthcare providers

  • policymakers