Mission Statement and Vision
Our mission is to strengthen families with young children. Our vision is to improve tomorrow’s quality of life in the community by ensuring today’s children are raised to be happy, healthy, and self-sufficient.
Family Connections of Northeast Ohio has been helping families grow stronger together for over 35 years by providing parenting support and educational opportunities for families with children from birth through age 5. We offer year-round, free and low cost programs and services for families and children to learn and play together.
Early Literacy
Our family literacy playrooms provide a dedicated time for parents and caregivers to play with their children in literacy-rich environments. These playrooms demonstrate how simple, interactive play, conversation, and everyday activities can make all the difference for school readiness.
Parent Support
We provide all parents with the opportunity to cultivate relationships, within and between families, and build connections. Whether it be in our playrooms, in the classrooms, or in homes, Family Connections programs link parents to community resources. We also offer information on child development and parenting.
School Readiness
Family Connections works with families during the critical transition into kindergarten, follows them through their kindergarten experience, and leads them towards success into first grade. Meeting families where they are, our programs provide opportunities for parents and children to engage in activities together that strengthen literacy, and help with developing reading, math, and social skills.
Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening & Support
The Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening & Support were issued by the California Network of Family Strengthening Networks (CNFSN) in 2012, and adopted by the National Family Support Network in 2013. They are the first and only standards organization in the country to integrate and implement the Principles of Family Support Practice with the Strengthening Families Frameworks and its research-based evidence-informed 5 Protective Factors. Applying these standards will help ensure that families are supported and strengthened through quality practice.
The Standards are organized in five sections with 17 standards, each with minimum and high-quality indicators and implementation examples:
Family Centeredness
Family Strengthening
Embracing Diversity
Community Building
Evaluation
Family Connections is certified in The Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening & Support and has one of only two trained trainers in the state of Ohio. We use these Standards with each of our programs to better serve our families and participants.