Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts

Family support networks:fnc Family support networks are available in three boston neighborhoods (allston-brighton, dorchester and roslindale/hyde park) and offer a full continuum of programs that include welcome baby, parent/baby and parent/child playgroups, and boston parentchild+ program.

Training and program development support: fnc is the statewide training and technical assistance Center for the Nurturing parenting and Nurturing fathers programs in Massachusetts. Fnc staff trained over 641 professionals across the commonwealth in program development and facilitation. They participated in our three-day Nurturing philosophy training, as well as trainings designed to address specific practice issues (working with african american families, facilitating programs with teens, etc.). Fnc receives significant contract funding from the ma department of children and families ("dcf") to support Nurturing program facilitator training for social workers in its area offices across Massachusetts. Fnc staff and program graduates are involved with dcf also in promoting fatherhood engagement statewide.

Boston Family engagement network:the boston Family engagement network ("bfen") is a network of eight community-based organizations that coordinate boston families' access to programs and services that benefit their young children's (birth to eight years of age) healthy growth and development. Fnc subcontracts with eight other neighborhood-based nonprofit organizations to provide and coordinate programming. Subcontracts range from $40,000 to $60,000 per agency. The neighborhoods served include: east boston, mattapan, roslindale (includes hyde park and west roxbury), roxbury, charlestown, allston/brighton, jamaica plain, dorchester, and south boston.the network provides a number of Family support programs like those listed above (welcome baby, parent child playgroups, parenting education and resource and referral). Funding for fnc's citywide parentchild+ home visiting program also is part of the grant.

Nurturing parenting programs are 12-15-session, research-validated, interactive parent support and education programs that involve the whole Family. Fnc is the statewide training and technical assistance Center for Nurturing programs, which build Nurturing skills through group lessons and activities from a nationally recognized curriculum emphasizing empathy, empowerment, positive self-worth, and the use of dignified discipline for all Family members. With public and private funding, fnc coordinates a variety of programs including Family Nurturing programs; a birth, foster and kinship Nurturing program (in english and this year, a newly translated one in spanish); a cape verdean Nurturing program; and a number of Nurturing fathers' programs each year.