Family Support Services

Sharing skills and resources to improve family’s futures.

What are Family Support Programs?

The Family Support Programs have professionally trained staff to work with clients through our evidence-based home visiting programs. We meet families’ individual needs assisting them to develop knowledge, skills and resources in order to improve their family’s futures. We meet them where they are and offer a multi-generational approach helping their family with important topics such as:

- Prenatal and infant care
- Parenting and Co-Parenting education
- Infant growth and child development
- Childcare and preschool services
- Ages and Stages Developmental Screenings
- Growing Great Kids
- Positive Parenting Program Curriculum
- Budgeting skills to increase financial awareness and stability
- Positive discipline
- Life and stress management
- Community Resources

The Family Resource Center offers programs that are voluntary and confidential with the mission to build healthier families and stronger communities in the North Country of New Hampshire.

Healthy Families America

HFA is a nationally recognized program for Prenatal to Age 3 focusing on prenatal care, successful birth and infant weight, parent-child interaction, strong relationships and optimal childhood development outcomes.

The HFA program:

Improves parenting attitudes
Increases knowledge of child development
Supports a quality home environment
Promotes positive parent-child interaction
Improves family health
Prevents child abuse and neglect

VROOM

New science tells us that our children’s first years are when they develop the foundation for all future learning. Every time we connect with them, it’s not just their eyes that light up—it’s their brains too. In these moments, half a million neurons fire at once, taking in all the things we say and do. We can’t see it happening, but it’s all there, all at work. That’s why Vroom is here.

Vroom turns shared moments into brain building moments. Whether it’s mealtime, bathtime, or anytime in between, there are always ways to nurture our children’s growing minds.

We encourage all parents of all walks of life to check out some of the tools and ideas here.

Kinship Navigator Program

In New Hampshire and across the United States, grandparents and other relatives play a critical role in the prevention of unnecessary entries into foster care. The Kinship Navigator Program links grandparents and other relative caregivers, both inside and outside of the formal child welfare system, to the services and supports specific to their families’ needs. Kinship Navigators provide emotional support, education, and guidance to relative caregivers, and offer information, referral, and follow up services to promote independence and enhance the well-being of the families they serve.

For more information call Kat Morris at 603-466-5190 ext 317, or email info@frc123.org.

Positive Solutions for Families

We provide a Parenting Workshop to offer tips through effective evidence-based strategies to help with communication.

Session 1: Making a Connection — bonding, relating, making it happen, play, development
Session 2: Making it Happen – developing friendship skills in children
Session 3: Why do children do what they do? Teach me what to do- you as your child’s teacher
Session 4: Teach Me What to Do – social emotional development in children
Session 5: Facing the Challenges Part 1: Teaching encouragement, managing behavior with positive logical consequences
Session 6: Facing the Challenges Part 2: Prevention, routines, behavior, your new responses

Groups are offered on an on-going basis. For more information, call us at 466-5190 ext 317, or email info@frc123.org.

Watch Me Grow

The Family Resource Center at Gorham is part of a collaborative effort to provide developmental screening to all children ages 0-5 in the state of New Hampshire. This program is called Watch Me Grow.
As part of Watch Me Grow, The FRC uses the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) to help parents learn about and prepare for the different stages of a child’s development and to aid in assessing the ongoing development of your child.
Using the ASQ, a series of questions are asked of parents about their child. The ASQ answer sheet is completed by the FRC home visitor and the results are shared with parents. If there are concerns in a particular area of the child’s development, parents may be referred to the child’s pediatrician for follow up, or a repeat screening at a later date may be recommended.
Below is a link to the screenings you can do at home with your children: ASQ Online Assessment

Toddler Time

where parents and toddlers come together to play, learn new parenting tips and connect with one another.

Tuesday mornings from 10:00 to 11:30 am for families with children ages 0-5 at the Gorham Recreation Department
Friday mornings from 10:00 to 11:30 am for families with children ages 0-5 at The Family Resource Center in Berlin (117 Main St.)
FMI call 466-5190 ext. 317

Children in the Middle

The Children in the Middle program is to help parents who are separated or divorced by teaching them skills that:

Engage parents in recognizing the effects on children caught in the middle of parental problems and conflicts
Help parents to learn new skills and apply them to their own situations
Encourage parents to let their children know that the children’s reactions to being caught in the middle are normal and the children should give parents feedback when problems are occuring
Educate parents on how to reduce the main stressors of divorce and separation on children
This course is completed on-line and there is a fee for this program

For more information about classes email Leah White at Leah.White@frc123.org or call 466-5190 ext. 300

Family Support Referral Form

Are you looking to refer a family to FRC programs or services?

For more information on our Family Support Programs please call us at 466-5190 or email familysupport@frc123.org