Support Your Family

Redirecting to: https://supportingfamiliestogether.org/parents/supports-for-families/

At some point, every family needs support. Every family deserves access to the supports available in Wisconsin when that time comes. Here are some great resources that can guide you in accessing needed supports:

Wisconsin-Based Parent Cafés

Parenting can be tough. Many parents struggle with feelings of inadequacy because they feel overwhelmed, have difficulty meeting their family’s basic needs, or simply feel alone. Despite these feelings, the truth is that most parents are doing their best to support and nurture their children. But sometimes parents need a little support too.

That is where Parent Cafés come in. Parent Cafés guide parents to explore the Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors in a small group setting through a peer-to-peer learning process and individual self-reflection. Cafés provide a safe and nurturing environment for parents to have authentic, intimate conversations about their families and ways that they can strengthen their families and communities. Parents build enhanced social and emotional skills and learn how to proactively respond to challenging situations. Throughout this process parents acquire the leadership skills necessary to engage, train and lead Parent Cafés within their own community.

Supporting Families Together Association (SFTA) partnered with agencies in 11 counties across Wisconsin to offer Parent Cafés to Wisconsin parents. This opportunity was made available with funding from Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Grant through the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.

Check out what these parents participating in Parent Cafés had to say about their experiences:
Gary, Green Bay, WI

Victoria, Hayward, WI

Check out our What Works in Family Support blog and our Parent Café Pinterest board for more information and inspiration surrounding Parent Cafés.

Family Resource Centers

Family Resource Centers (FRCs) provide services and support systems that emphasize and build on family strengths. Each Family Resource Center is unique, but there are commonalities across programs. FRCs primarily focus on parents or primary caregivers and their children from prenatal through early childhood and offer a wide range of services to meet the individual needs of each family and community. Specific services each center offers may be located at the center, in homes or at other locations in the community. In Wisconsin, FRCs may provide a combination of any of these core services and more:

• Group services: delivering parent education courses, workshops, support groups, drop-in programs, respite care, and play groups.
• Individual services: providing families with personal consultations and support through services such as warm-lines, home visits, supervised visitation or safe exchange programs.
• Outreach and family visiting services: reaching out to parents and families in their homes or in other community-based locations convenient for families. This might be through collaborations with birthing hospitals to connect with new families, through community response to ensure families have support in times of need or through universal services such as car seat checks.
• Community resource and referral and follow-up services: offering a reliable link to public and private agencies and providing strong family advocacy within local communities. Families can receive referrals to other community programs, public benefits, as well as assistance with transportation.

The National Family Support Network has developed a 3-minute video that describes the prevalence and importance of FRCs as a local resource. Watch the video (YouTube)

Find a Family Resource Center by county

View all Family Resource Centers

Home Visiting Programs

Home Visiting is a voluntary service provided in the homes of pregnant women, and families with children from birth to five years. Evidence-based Home Visiting models have been proven to improve maternal and child health, child development, school readiness, positive parenting, and to decrease child maltreatment. These models also provide guidelines for key Home Visiting program components, including: recommended populations to serve, duration and frequency of service delivery, and staff education and training. Wisconsin offers five Evidence-Based Home Visiting Models to families throughout the state. The programs available are:

• Early Head Start – Home-based Model (EHS)
• Healthy Families of America (HFA)
• Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)
• Nurse Family Partnership (NFP)
• Parents As Teachers  (PAT)

To learn more about Evidence Based Home Visiting and each model click here!

Find a Home Visiting Program

Download Evidence Based Home Visiting Programs in WI for descriptions of WI home visiting programs.

To update your agency’s Evidence Based Home Visiting information please contact Connie Dunlap at Supporting Families Together Association via email connie@supportingfamiliestogether.org or phone 1.888.713.KIDS (5437).

Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R)

Wisconsin’s Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies work within 8 regions of the state, serving all 72 counties and 11 tribes to ensure that Wisconsin’s youngest children have high quality early childhood experiences. CCR&Rs have something to offer everyone, whether they are a family looking for care or supports, early care and education providers in need of professional development opportunities or communities looking for information, data or solutions.

For Families:

• Consumer education related to child care.
• Support to make the most informed choice that is best for their family.
• A list of referred providers from CCR&Rs based on every family’s unique needs and priorities.
• Technical assistance regarding child development and parenting strategies.
• Connections to community resources or supports, so that they are prepared to be successful in raising their family.

Connect with your local Child Care Resource & Referral Agency.

Additional Family Support Resources

Click the “For Parents” tab below, and search for Strengthening Families™ programs and resources that are a fit for your child(ren). Scroll to the bottom of the chart and click the button that reads “full screen” to view in full.

• Public Health Information & Referral Services for Women, Children & Families is a resource directory that houses family support services including child and maternal health, mental health, family education, supporting children with special needs, and much more.
• Comprehensive and Aligned System for Early Childhood Screening and Assessment: Wisconsin’s Blueprint, from the Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners Healthy Children Committee, offers guidelines for health screening practices for our youngest children.
• 2-1-1 is a simple, free way to connect all people in need with vital human services for everyday life or in times of crisis. By dialing 2-1-1 anywhere in the state of Wisconsin, people are linked to information about local resources, from both government and nonprofit organizations. From the single parent seeking food for their children to the senior citizen looking for in-home care, 2-1-1 brings people and community resources together.
• ACCESS is Wisconsin’s online connection to Programs for Health, Nutrition and Child Care. Using this website you can check your eligibility for a variety of benefits available in Wisconsin, including BadgerCare Plus, Food Share and Wisconsin Shares, apply for the benefits you and your family are eligible for and use the login portal to maintain those benefits.
• CountyOffice.org is a free site that is home to contact information (telephone number, address, email and fax numbers and county clerk websites) for all county clerk and court record offices in each of 50 states of the United States’ 3,143 counties and county equivalents. You can search for contact information by topic, state, and county.
• Special Education Supports: Check out opportunities for caregivers and parents on the Wisconsin Statewide Special Education Professional Development Calendar from the Wisconsin Statewide Parent Educator Initiative (WSPEI).
• ConsumerSafety.org is a comprehensive resource offering safety guides for infants and children, families, patients and seniors, as well as publishing important health news, recalls and safety alerts.