About Us

What is the Consortium?
The Family Support Consortium is a collaboration of Family Connections (formerly Shaker Family Center), Heights Parent Center, and the City of Lakewood Family Room. Together, members of the Consortium have over 50 years of experience providing programs and services that strengthen families and build community. All members of the Consortium offer programs explicitly grounded in the principles of Family Support.

What is Family Support?
Family Support is a type of grass-roots, community-based program designed to prevent family problems by strengthening parent-child relationships and providing whatever supports parents need in order to be successful nurturers and providers. In fact, Family Support programs enhance families' capacity to support the growth and development of all family members - adults, youth and children. Family Support programs also contribute to the community-building process. They are open to all families and provide resources and connections that build a supportive community around participants.

When Families Participate in Family Support...

• Parents share ideas and strategies with one another
• Children have the opportunity to learn and practice new social skills in interaction with other children
• Parents feel comfortable coming to a place just for parents and young children, designed for safety and promotion of learning
• Parents develop and enhance community support systems that reduce their isolation and stress
• Parents learn from watching other parents interact with their own children
• Parents gain confidence in their own abilities to decide what is best for their family

What Families Say About Family Support...
"One of the most difficult aspects of parenthood is coping with the feelings of isolation and uncertainty that accompany it …The Heights Parent Center became the conduit through which I was able to make vital connections with other parents. Relating to other parents' experiences was comforting and ultimately helped me feel more confident in my ability to provide a healthy, loving environment for my son."

"The Shaker Family Center has been my best welcome to Cleveland…We are continuously exposed to new and interesting forms of parent-child interaction….I have received a tremendous amount of useful info about resources in the community and, most importantly, I have made good friends. The staff is wonderful and always ready to help. The SFC has definitely made me feel part of this community."

"Endless sharing of common problem-solving information with other parents…immediacy of finding answers to needs (so important with surprise problems in child-raising)…most important - because of the Family Room, [my daughter] is ready to handle and enjoy the school experience and meeting new people with comfort and confidence."

Consortium Members Believe that...
All families have strengths and they build on those strengths when they participate in Family Support programs. No parent has to be in crisis to participate in Family Support programs. All parents benefit from support which helps their children grow to their fullest potential.

Children's growth and learning, the development of the family, and the building of community are interdependent processes. When any one of these processes is disrupted, there can be an effect on all. Thus, the Consortium believes in supporting optimal outcomes on all three fronts. The Consortium believes in the power of Family Support to ensure that...

• Children are happy, healthy and ready for school
• Parents are supported and confident in their abilities to give their kids what they need
• Families are connected to one another and their community

A Brief History of the Consortium
Members of the Family Support Consortium first came together in 1999 to develop and implement a comprehensive outcome survey to measure the impact of local Family Support programs. Each of the member organizations operate within the framework of the Family Support philosophy, offer similar programming, and experience the unique challenges of serving families in the inner ring suburbs. This project provided the foundation for a more formal working relationship.

Building upon the trust and mutual respect fortified through the joint outcome survey project, the three organizations again came together in 2003 to build upon their individual strengths by forming the Greater Cleveland Family Support Consortium. With the support of The George Gund Foundation and the Cleveland Foundation, the three Directors and a member of each Board/staff met with consultants from Sentenia, Inc. between June and December 2003 to create the Consortium. A formal agreement was established incorporating goals, objectives and a work plan, which emphasize the sharing of best practices and pursuit of opportunities to expand the reach of Family Support.

The purpose of the Consortium is to promote and coordinate Family Support initiatives that strengthen families and build community. The Consortium will develop new Family Support programs, raise awareness of the value of Family Support programs, share resources and seek to influence policy. The ultimate goal is to promote the healthy development of children, reduce isolation of parents, strengthen families and build caring communities. The Consortium will bring diverse stakeholders together to share, uphold and achieve this vision.