What are Family Resource Centers?

Family Resource Centers provide access, within a community, to a broad continuum of family support and early childhood services which foster the optimal development of children and families. This model is based on the Schools of the 21^st Century concept developed by Dr. Edward Zigler at Yale University. The Alcorn Family Resource Center is one of 62 such programs in Connecticut. The vision guiding Family Resource Centers includes helping children enter Kindergarten eager to learn, helping to close the achievement gap, and strengthening families through family support and parent education.

With the collaboration of the Town of Enfield, Board of Education and other community agencies, the Family Resource Center is the “doorway to the schools” for many families in our community. All Family Resource Centers implement a seven component program that increases parental involvement in their child’s education beginning at birth and strengthens the school-family-community connection to ensure that all children are ready to learn when they enter school.

Who is Eligible for Services?

We prioritize services to families living in the designated service area, which is the Alcorn school district/Thompsonville community and families with high needs. When space allows, programs are offered to families from other parts of Enfield.

What are the Service Components?

The Family Resource Center provides or collaborates with existing agencies to offer the following services:

• Resource and Referral Services

The Family Resource Center, by our school-based location and access to families, has been established as a primary resource and referral service for issues concerning the well-being of families. We provide referrals to community agencies for housing, counseling, employment, adult education, social services, food, and preschool and child care services. We also have on hand a lending library with a variety of parent resources for families.

• Families in Training

This component provides support services to expectant parents and parents of children under the age of five with the goal of helping prepare children for kindergarten. This includes playgroups where parents, caregivers and children come together for learning and fun, offered five times a week. We also provide educational one-on-one personal visits with families in the home or at the Family Resource Center, and early childhood assessments to track children's overall development.

• Adult Education

This component offers GED programs, Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language classes to families at the Family Resource Center through collaboration with Enfield Adult Education. We also offer educational parenting classes and support groups such as the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren groups, Raising Readers parent Book Club, Single Parent Support Groups, family literacy programs, a financial literacy program and Autism Support Groups.

• Support and Training for Family Day Care Providers

The Family Resource Center works with Enfield family day care providers to offer professional development trainings, visits to their programs, and the access to our Family Day Care Provider referral line.

• Positive Youth Development

The Family Resource Center offers programs to Alcorn students in Grades 4-6 aimed at responsible decision making and communication skills. We offer a Ropes Challenge Course, a Babysitting Certification Class, a monthly Guys and Kids Night Out, and Lunchtime Craft Clubs to students at Alcorn School.

• Quality Full-Day Child Care and School Readiness Programs and School-Age Child Care