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The most common type of family, school, community partnership is the Family Resource Center (FRC). A FRC is one necessary link between successful families, successful schools and successful communities. FRCs can be found in different configurations, including urban and rural, big and small, new and old -- each one is unique. Family Resource Center mission statements reflect strength-based family support models which encourage healthy development and self-advocacy for community members. You can find FRCs in a variety of settings -- school buildings, sharing space in a social service agency, inside a community building, in a store front, housed inside a place of worship. Many are linked to public school systems, delivering a myriad of services for children and their families. There is a coordinator, who is usually a school district employee, responsible for the operational hours of the facility. FRC staffs are community based outreach workers with flexible hours so they can reach families when they are needed. They serve as a bridge between school and home and community, sometimes serving many counties. Family resource centers range in structure, from a community consortium model, to the "one-stop shop." The community consortium consists of a network of service providers that are linked to coordinated efforts to serve families and children. A one-stop shop provides multiple services housed in a central location either at a school or community center, with information, application process, health and social services, care and education services and referral to other services, offered at the center. There may be a lead agency adopting the task of managing the partnership strategies or even a new nonprofit agency developed to handle this task. There are, however, challenges that new and existing partnerships face. One Northwest project director has described challenges partnerships face as the "Terrible Ts":
Whatever the structure, successful partnerships build bridges to overcome barriers to meeting the needs of families and children in a truly collaborative way. Programs The following are examples of the three types of FRC services: Prevention services which are linked with health and human services already provided in the community; information on these services is accessible to all families. Some examples are:
Family education/information/empowerment component encourages families to act as their own advocates in obtaining resources/services. Some examples are:
School / family /community positive relationships component provides avenue for community involvement and community support for families and schools. Examples are:
Within a community a FRC can help ease tensions and foster resiliency for children and adults. Establishing a FRC helps empower community members to build on their strengths and achieve goals. It is a very powerful experience to see a community that is in charge of itself. Materials and Equipment A friendly, flexible, adult-sized space is important for FRCs. A small reception area that can serve as a welcome and information exchange area is usually stocked with coffee and cookies. It is the space that eases the initial contact, a space that shows the mission statement of the community, and a space that serves as the bridge into the community. Some FRCs have this "bridge" area outside their front doors, in the hallway in a school corridor; some have incorporated it into their sitting/library/resource areas. Space is usually at a premium in school buildings; sometimes FRCs are located in hard to find locations, some have even used painted footprints to lead people to their entrances. Unlike the old real-estate axiom -- location, location, location -- regardless of location, FCRs are busy places and used by community people. FRCs house such a variety of events, the physical space should be flexible and permanent all at the same time. People need to be able to find permanent spaces for libraries, resource centers, computers, and child care, and the like, but the space surrounding these needs to be flexible enough to hold classes, show videos, have health clinics/screenings, and hold lectures. Basic equipment, such as computers for adults to practice/learn skills, adult sized tables and chairs, book shelves, play corners for young children, coffee pot, small refrigerator, telephone, sofa are essential. Writing materials, computer programs, desk supplies, snack paper goods, and bulletin boards are also essential. Many pieces of equipment and basic materials can be obtained through local community business donations, community start-up grants, word-of-mouth, and braided funding efforts. It is important to have the FRC supplied and ready to operate when first opened to the community if the community is to trust the FRC. Children's Corner What is needed in the children's corner is an arrangement that is easily supervised, accessible to different sizes, safe (toddlers tend to put everything in their mouth), visually clear as to where toys belong, which makes clean-up possible, and fun. This is easy and possible to accomplish. The space does need to be away from the main action, so children are not interrupting adult's work. Mirrors placed at adults' eye level on walls can make hard-to-see spaces easier to supervise. Some FRCs work in conjunction with high school child development classes and have experienced seniors supervising children during adult classes. Retired preschool teachers living within the community can be a good resource for training parents or community elders to help with childcare also. Efforts should be made to provide background checks and screening for volunteers. It is important that children are supervised and both children and parents feel safe with the caregivers. Children's books are a must for the FRC's library, for children and families to use. If books are being displayed for children you will need a "help yourself bookstand"; young children need to see the book to make a selection, since they cannot read book titles. A dramatic play area set up as a "house corner" appeals to all ages. Play kitchen, doll bed, dolls, table and chair, dishes, pots and pans, etc., could easily be donated by thrift stores, or built by community members for much less that it would cost to purchase. These items come with natural storage places for the toys. If they are homemade, close attention must be paid to the products they are finished with (avoid toxic lacquers and paints), sharpness of corners (they need to be rounded), and the size of knobs used (too big to swallow). Young children mouth everything and all toys need to be safe enough to be "tasted" with parts large enough not to be swallowed. Following the National Association for the Education of Young Children's sanitation and safety guidelines or your state child care division regulations will ensure safety precautions. Items like puzzles, manipulatives (legos, linking pieces, sorting pieces, etc.), blocks, and art materials will enhance the space, but may require supervision. Children love to play with them, but these toys need to be supervised for safety reasons with younger children and require additional floor or table space to be used effectively and for clean-up. Your space might need to be flexible enough to accommodate different numbers of children. It is something to consider when planning child care to accompany an adult class. Child care in FRCs offers the unique challenge of supervising many age groups at the same time. It is important to have the child-to-adult ratio one that allows for manageable supervision of all children. If there are many young children (under the age of two) then a good rule of thumb is a 1:4 ratio for safety. Children do not need to be overwhelmed with lots of toys, but they do need enough space and toys to accommodate the number playing in the children's corner. Many young parents are concerned that their child isn't receiving "educational value" from their play. The Value of Play - (post this for parents to read) When your child plays in the dramatic play corner, s/he is:
When your child listens to stories or looks at books, s/he is:
When your child plays outdoors with other children, s/he is:
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Some skills and attributes of staff in working with families include:
Working with schools staff:
Working with school administrators:
Some skills and attributes of FRC staff who work with diverse populations are:
Regardless of position, these are skills and attributes that all staff members must share for success. FRC staff must be prevention specialists who promote parent empowerment, involvement, and participation; are highly involved with other staff; are professional; and meet the diverse needs of the families within their community. They must be sensitive to the confidentiality of families while mobilizing community resources on behalf of families. Seek help from other community members to find staff that will meet these needs. Return to Top
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This document's URL is: © 2001 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
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