Nonprofit Spotlight, 5/30/13 Edition: Families First Parenting Programs, Inc.
Each year, Massachusetts social services agencies handle a huge number of cases; in 2011, the Department of Children and Families was involved with more than 68,000 individuals. While Massachusetts’ web of social service providers assist families with many vital practical services, such as shelter and medical assistance, there is a gap in the provision of parenting support and information for those families. Families First, Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., was created to fill this gap. The small organization – just 9 on staff, not all full-time – works behind the scenes in an extraordinarily efficient fashion to deliver those needed services.
A Unique Program
The families helped by Families First are low-income, but low-income doesn’t necessarily translate to bigger parenting problems. Rather, the problem is one of access, says Families First’s Director of Grants and Communications, Rebekah McKinney. “Parenting issues are universal across populations, but families who have higher incomes have the resources to access parenting supports, and are more likely to be informed about classes, books and other options available to them,” she says. “Families First is here for those parents who have barriers to getting help – vulnerable populations such as homeless families, families where there are incarcerations, and immigrants that have cultural and language barriers.”
Families First was created in 1988 as a project of Boston’s Wheelock College and the Boston Children’s Museum. Using content based on work done at Wheelock’s Center for Parenting Studies, the program was designed to meet the needs of the Museum’s visitors, and was delivered at the Museum. By 1992, the program had become successful enough to outgrow the Museum space, and moved from Boston to Cambridge as an affiliate of Wheelock. In 1998, it became its own independent organization, and has been growing ever since.
The organization works with a different philosophy than many others in the same sphere of child-centered services, in a way that makes their work highly compatible. “There’s an idea that kids’ success in school is only about supporting them in school and in literacy development activities,” says McKinney, “with the focus being academic support.” Families First’s approach is based on research that indicates that children are in a much better position to take advantage of academic supports if they first have reliability in their lives. Harvard University’s Center for Child Development and Research shows that much of the “toxic stress” in the lives of children – the kind of stress that negatively affects emotional, mental, and physical health– can be mitigated by the presence of a reliable parent or other caring adult. Additionally, McKinney cites Paul Tough, who in his book How Children Succeed says that having reliability is even more important for children than traditional cognitive support. “The foundation for academic growth,” says McKinney, “is a resilient, determined child who has that reliable, caring relationship.” The Families First classes are designed to help parents build those relationships with their children.
Another gap that Families First fills effectively is that of providing information and support to the service providers themselves. Multiple studies have shown that direct-service social workers, such as Family and Child Services workers, experience higher levels of stress than their already-stressed colleagues in the field. Heavy workloads, emotionally charged work settings, and a lack of support are a reality for many. Families First addresses this need with a curriculum of Professional Training workshops. By continuing to provide education and support for the service providers, the organization helps them be more effective and have better relationships with their clients.
Collaboration Provides Greater Reach
An important development in the Families First model was a shift towards more collaboration. Prior to the mid-2000s, the organization delivered services in a much more direct way, largely in suburban areas that were not rich in social service agencies. Evaluation and strategic planning revealed that by shifting focus slightly – to work in an integrated fashion with existing agencies in urban areas – the organization could reach an exponentially greater number of parents. “It was about crystallizing the mission,” says McKinney, “and really homing in on those vulnerable populations in the most effective way.”
“Efficient” is an apt descriptor – the organization is able to reach more than 4,000 individuals a year through 90 partnerships throughout Greater Boston and beyond. Families First creates the curricula of parenting and professional training workshops, and selects facilitators from their pool of skilled Parenting Educators. Partner agencies provide the space and promote the workshops to their staff and clients. Agencies pay an optional sliding scale fee for delivery of the workshops, and participants attend for free.
McKinney says the most challenging part of delivering programs is finding just the right Parenting Educators to facilitate the classes and workshops. “They really need to have a high level of understanding and knowledge, be a skilled facilitator, and be able to speak to different cultural backgrounds and different experiences.”
She agrees that the connection is of vital importance. “No one wants to hear, ‘You’re a bad parent, you’re doing things wrong.’ You have to be positive, and be a support.” One mother who attended a Families First parenting class concurs, writing, “I left there thinking, ‘Oh wow, I'm not a bad parent; I'm just a bad listener.’ The [facilitator] was awesome… I can’t wait for the [next session]. I really enjoyed the program.”
Evaluation Leads to Better Focus, Deeper Engagement, Growth
Families First places high importance on ongoing evaluation on multiple levels. The curricula, partnerships, program and organization are evaluated using a variety of techniques, from surveys and questionnaires to logic models and identity mapping. This has resulted in streamlined programs and better targeting of vulnerable populations as the organization has grown.
Families First is entering an exciting time, as they further refine and focus their work. “We’re looking to move from a broader, shallower reach towards deeper engagement and deeper relationships,” says McKinney. The organization has condensed its number of partnerships slightly, from just over 100 to 90, to provide the opportunity for more involved relationships. Families First is also revamping its curricula to focus on series, as opposed to individual workshops. This will bring deeper engagement at all levels, from partners to providers to parents and their children.
Another innovative way Families First is building deeper engagement, as well as a small amount of earned income, is by developing The Family Engagement Initiative. This coaching program is designed to help nonprofits draft and implement a family engagement plan. After helping an agency create a family engagement plan, a coach is matched to provide guidance throughout a 6-month plan implementation process – much like a consulting contract. By helping agencies to deepen their relationships with those they serve, Families First is once again using the power of partnerships and collaboration to increase its reach and effectiveness, powering services far beyond one small office in Cambridge.
Families First is seeking bilingual (Haitian Creole or Spanish) Parenting Educators. More information: http://familiesfirst.skyworld.com/about/Bilingual_Parenting_Educator.cfm?regionid=1&langid=1&ud=B7A6974E-D72A-41C8-5255E1A067DAE5DD&cmsStatusAdmin=0
If your organization would like to partner with Families First, visit http://www.families-first.org/organizations/partnering.cfm for more information.
To bring a Families First parenting workshop series to your organization, please visit http://www.families-first.org/organizations/workshop.cfm
A Unique Program
The families helped by Families First are low-income, but low-income doesn’t necessarily translate to bigger parenting problems. Rather, the problem is one of access, says Families First’s Director of Grants and Communications, Rebekah McKinney. “Parenting issues are universal across populations, but families who have higher incomes have the resources to access parenting supports, and are more likely to be informed about classes, books and other options available to them,” she says. “Families First is here for those parents who have barriers to getting help – vulnerable populations such as homeless families, families where there are incarcerations, and immigrants that have cultural and language barriers.”
Families First was created in 1988 as a project of Boston’s Wheelock College and the Boston Children’s Museum. Using content based on work done at Wheelock’s Center for Parenting Studies, the program was designed to meet the needs of the Museum’s visitors, and was delivered at the Museum. By 1992, the program had become successful enough to outgrow the Museum space, and moved from Boston to Cambridge as an affiliate of Wheelock. In 1998, it became its own independent organization, and has been growing ever since.
The organization works with a different philosophy than many others in the same sphere of child-centered services, in a way that makes their work highly compatible. “There’s an idea that kids’ success in school is only about supporting them in school and in literacy development activities,” says McKinney, “with the focus being academic support.” Families First’s approach is based on research that indicates that children are in a much better position to take advantage of academic supports if they first have reliability in their lives. Harvard University’s Center for Child Development and Research shows that much of the “toxic stress” in the lives of children – the kind of stress that negatively affects emotional, mental, and physical health– can be mitigated by the presence of a reliable parent or other caring adult. Additionally, McKinney cites Paul Tough, who in his book How Children Succeed says that having reliability is even more important for children than traditional cognitive support. “The foundation for academic growth,” says McKinney, “is a resilient, determined child who has that reliable, caring relationship.” The Families First classes are designed to help parents build those relationships with their children.
Another gap that Families First fills effectively is that of providing information and support to the service providers themselves. Multiple studies have shown that direct-service social workers, such as Family and Child Services workers, experience higher levels of stress than their already-stressed colleagues in the field. Heavy workloads, emotionally charged work settings, and a lack of support are a reality for many. Families First addresses this need with a curriculum of Professional Training workshops. By continuing to provide education and support for the service providers, the organization helps them be more effective and have better relationships with their clients.
Collaboration Provides Greater Reach
An important development in the Families First model was a shift towards more collaboration. Prior to the mid-2000s, the organization delivered services in a much more direct way, largely in suburban areas that were not rich in social service agencies. Evaluation and strategic planning revealed that by shifting focus slightly – to work in an integrated fashion with existing agencies in urban areas – the organization could reach an exponentially greater number of parents. “It was about crystallizing the mission,” says McKinney, “and really homing in on those vulnerable populations in the most effective way.”
“Efficient” is an apt descriptor – the organization is able to reach more than 4,000 individuals a year through 90 partnerships throughout Greater Boston and beyond. Families First creates the curricula of parenting and professional training workshops, and selects facilitators from their pool of skilled Parenting Educators. Partner agencies provide the space and promote the workshops to their staff and clients. Agencies pay an optional sliding scale fee for delivery of the workshops, and participants attend for free.
McKinney says the most challenging part of delivering programs is finding just the right Parenting Educators to facilitate the classes and workshops. “They really need to have a high level of understanding and knowledge, be a skilled facilitator, and be able to speak to different cultural backgrounds and different experiences.”
She agrees that the connection is of vital importance. “No one wants to hear, ‘You’re a bad parent, you’re doing things wrong.’ You have to be positive, and be a support.” One mother who attended a Families First parenting class concurs, writing, “I left there thinking, ‘Oh wow, I'm not a bad parent; I'm just a bad listener.’ The [facilitator] was awesome… I can’t wait for the [next session]. I really enjoyed the program.”
Evaluation Leads to Better Focus, Deeper Engagement, Growth
Families First places high importance on ongoing evaluation on multiple levels. The curricula, partnerships, program and organization are evaluated using a variety of techniques, from surveys and questionnaires to logic models and identity mapping. This has resulted in streamlined programs and better targeting of vulnerable populations as the organization has grown.
Families First is entering an exciting time, as they further refine and focus their work. “We’re looking to move from a broader, shallower reach towards deeper engagement and deeper relationships,” says McKinney. The organization has condensed its number of partnerships slightly, from just over 100 to 90, to provide the opportunity for more involved relationships. Families First is also revamping its curricula to focus on series, as opposed to individual workshops. This will bring deeper engagement at all levels, from partners to providers to parents and their children.
Another innovative way Families First is building deeper engagement, as well as a small amount of earned income, is by developing The Family Engagement Initiative. This coaching program is designed to help nonprofits draft and implement a family engagement plan. After helping an agency create a family engagement plan, a coach is matched to provide guidance throughout a 6-month plan implementation process – much like a consulting contract. By helping agencies to deepen their relationships with those they serve, Families First is once again using the power of partnerships and collaboration to increase its reach and effectiveness, powering services far beyond one small office in Cambridge.
Families First is seeking bilingual (Haitian Creole or Spanish) Parenting Educators. More information: http://familiesfirst.skyworld.com/about/Bilingual_Parenting_Educator.cfm?regionid=1&langid=1&ud=B7A6974E-D72A-41C8-5255E1A067DAE5DD&cmsStatusAdmin=0
If your organization would like to partner with Families First, visit http://www.families-first.org/organizations/partnering.cfm for more information.
To bring a Families First parenting workshop series to your organization, please visit http://www.families-first.org/organizations/workshop.cfm
