Family Resource Centers​

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Family Resource Center Initiative

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BACKGROUND

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Providing funding and support for Family Resource Centers (FRC’s) throughout Kings County remains a key strategy of the Kings County Children and Families Commission (Commission). FRC’s were established to be a single point of access for multiple services for children 0-5 and their families.  They are designed to be community driven and coordinated services should be responsive to the needs of the community they serve.  The goals of each FRC are specific to the local community with an overarching goal of increasing children’s readiness for school.  Integral to their success is their ability to foster relationships with community and local leaders.  FRC’s are meant to coordinate services and ensure that they are delivered in an integrated and culturally competent manner.

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The Family Resource Center Initiative dates back to FY 2001/2002 when initial planning grants were offered by First 5 Kings County to entities representing each Kings County community to include Armona, Avenal, Corcoran, Hanford, Home Garden, Kettleman City, Lemoore, and Stratford.   In March 2006, a new Family Resource Center Initiative was adopted, representing a shift from a planning to implementation stage of development.  In 2008, the Commission was presented with the results of the 2006-2008 Evaluation that explored the effectiveness of the Family Resource Center strategy.   While the results of the evaluation indicated that overall, “the FRC’s are offering a number of useful services to families of children birth to five years of age”, it also made a number of findings and recommendations in an effort to strengthen the approach.  One of the findings of the evaluation was that the demographics being served by FRC’s support the assumption that the strategy is targeting low income populations.  While the FRC strategy was not originally intended to serve only low-income populations, it was apparent that by its original design it did just that. 

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DESCRIPTION

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The First 5 funded Family Resource Centers (FRC’s) within Kings County; employ various models constructed to support the delivery of health, education, childcare, and other support services to children and families. FRC’s have the additional impact of building communities and systems that support these families.

INTENT

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It is the intent of the Commission to provide through either direct service or coordinated efforts a comprehensive system of support to children 0-5 and their families through the Family Resource Center model of service delivery.  It is the goal of the Commission that all Kings County early childhood education services coordinated through Family Resource Centers will be delivered in a fully integrated manner, with an emphasis on quality, cultural competency, best practice and collaboration. 

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EXPECTED OUTCOMES

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Strategic Plan Result Area I:  Early Childcare and Education Result/Outcome Indicators

• Increase in the number of children who participate in quality early childhood programs.

• Increase in the number of children who participate in First 5 funded projects.

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Strategic Plan Result Area II: Parent Education and Support Result/Outcome Indicators

• Increase in the number of parents/guardians who receive general parenting education.

• Increase in the number of parents/guardian who participate in educational workshops.

•  Increase in the number of parents/guardian who receive supportive services.

• Increase the number of parents/guardian who participate in school readiness events and activities.

• Increase the number of parents/guardian who access school readiness resources.

• Parents report that their children birth to 5 years of age are read to up to five hours per week.

Strategic Plan Result Area III:  Healthy Children Result/Outcome Indicators (e.g.,)

• Increase the number of pregnant women who are referred to services.

• Increase the number of pregnant women and mothers provided information and/or education on the importance of prenatal care.

• Increase the number of pregnant women and mothers provided information and/or education on the importance of breastfeeding.

• Increase in the rate of mothers who report they are breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life.

• Increase the number of pregnant women and mothers provided information and/or education on fetal alcohol syndrome.

• Increase the number of pregnant women and mothers provided information and/or education on the importance of smoking cessation.

• Increase the number of pregnant women and mothers provided prenatal and/or postnatal home visits.

• Increase the number of children who receive developmental screenings.

• Increase the number of children who receive a social-emotional screening (ASQ-SE).

• Increase the number of children who receive developmental screenings prior to 3rd birthday.

• Increase the number of children who receive nutrition and/or fitness education.

• Increase the number of parents/guardians who receive nutrition and/or fitness education.

Strategic Plan Result Area IV:  Systems Integration & Alignment Result/Outcome Indicators (e.g.,)

• Increase the number of new partnerships within Family Resource Centers.

• Increase the number of parents and community members who participate in process to design FRC services offered.

• Increase in the depth and breadth of services offered within Family Resource Centers.

• Increase community awareness of the value of the FRC model.

• Increase the number of new collaborations among parents/caregivers, organizations and institutions across multiple sectors to work together to achieve results through the FRC model.

• Increase the percentage of new leveraged resources that support FRC operations.

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