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Our Mission
Guiding Families

Child and Family Development services give support and guidance to families and their young children. This program focuses on the critical early years of a child’s life, from birth to age 5, to support strong foundations for future success. Our trained staff educates parents so they can build a strong foundation for their family’s growth. All programs are offered free of charge in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole to families in the Greater Norwalk area and are on a voluntary basis. Services are primarily home-based and include:

The Fatherhood Initiative

In addition to the traditional home visiting services, Family & Children's Agency offers a fatherhood component to expecting fathers and fathers of young children ages 0-5. The Fatherhood Home Visitor works to increase the participation of dads in the lives of their child, increase the fathers’ knowledge about their child’s developmental needs, and promote bonding and attachment between fathers and their children. Working in the Healthy Families America model, the program follows a proven, evidence-based curriculum chosen by FCA to best fit our families.

Parents as Teachers

Parents As Teachers is a voluntary family education and support program based on the philosophy that parents are their children’s first and most influential teachers. PAT works with families prenatally until children enter kindergarten and provides the information, support and encouragement parents need to help their children develop optimally during the critical early development years. Through ongoing home visits, FCA parent educators provide curriculum-based activities to encourage positive parent/child interactions and promote healthy development, while also connecting families to community resources.

Maternal Outreach Mentoring Service (MOMS)

The Maternal Outreach Mentoring Service program provides home visitation services designed to strengthen families through teaching positive parenting skills, promoting healthy child development and empowering mothers to become self-sufficient. The program serves pregnant and/or parenting women with at least one child under the age of eight years, in need of family strengthening services. The program works with families individually through home visiting services, but also offers a group component to provide psycho-education and reduce social isolation among families.

If you are interested in participating in any of the parenting programs listed above, please fill out the Family & Children's Agency Referral Form.

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Nickel’s Story

Nickel’s Story

Nickel was pregnant with her third child and struggling with depression when she was referred to Family & Children's Agency's MOMS program. She said her house was chaotic with two boys, and her depression was making it hard to get out of bed in the morning.

The boys started missing school, and Nickel was thinking about dropping out of Norwalk Community College.

"I was ready to give up," she said.

That’s when she was paired with Adriana, her FCA case manager. Adriana helped Nickel organize her home and her workload. By creating a daily schedule, the boys found it easier to transition from one activity to the next. They now go to school every day and get there on time. Adriana and Nickel even celebrate milestones together, like birthdays and 9-month-old Josiah’s first steps.

"I don’t have a mother figure, and Adriana helped me feel like I belong, like someone cares," said Nickel.

Testimonials
“Very helpful with new parents, especially in helping us take our first steps as parents with daily guidance and activities to help us be better parents. ”
— Child & Family Development client
“This program has helped me learn how to treat my daughter, how to understand her and much more. I have also learned to express myself more with them.”
— Child & Family Development client
“I give thanks to all the staff for all of their help given to me in difficult times, each one of them with different pieces of advice that serve me today. Don’t cease to exist. There are many young people that need a push to keep going on their journey. ”
— Child & Family Development client
“From the minute I found out about FCA I felt like they were the family I really wanted.”
— Child & Family Development client
“ My visitor has taught me things I didn't know about my baby since I'm a first-time mom. ”
— Child & Family Development Client
“They help my family, they orient me in the things I should be doing for my family, and they help me solve problems.”
— Child & Family Development client