Programs & Services

Members of the Greater Cleveland Family Support Consortium offer a range of programs and services intended to meet the varied needs of families with young children. While each member organization offers programs and services that are unique, and often specifically tailored to their communities, there are several major categories of programming common to all Consortium member centers:

Early Literacy / School Readiness

Each member offers activities and environments designed to support the development of pre-literacy or school-readiness skills through play. Many of these programs benefit from partnerships with public libraries, preschool programs and elementary schools.

• Family Literacy Playrooms - Family Literacy Playrooms feature a number of activity stations, amongst which children and parents can move freely, each offering opportunities for the rehearsal of key pre-literacy skills. Staff guidance and printed tips help parents to understand and support the development of skills such as counting, sorting, reading, writing, and listening, all while engaged in fun, play activities.
• Portable Play-a-Day Program - This program is designed to bring interactive literacy activities to families in community or school settings. It has been used successfully with families of children ages 2 - 8 years to promote the development of literacy skills, and to empower parents to be involved in their child's educational development. The program combines a family meal, parent discussion, guided interactive play with portable dramatic prop boxes, a story time and book giveaway. During the 2009-2010 school year, this program has expanded to two elementary schools in Lakewood, two in Shaker Heights, and all seven elementary schools in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights school district.
• Kindergarten Kickoff - Heights Parent Center developed a program to help ease the transition into Kindergarten for children and parents alike, which is now being replicated in Shaker Heights and several Cleveland neighborhoods through the MyCom Initiative. This three session program, generally offered three consecutive weeks before the beginning of the new school year, provides parents with information about what and how their children will learn in kindergarten, supports parents in their efforts to be involved in their child's educational development, gives incoming kindergarteners a taste of the classroom experience, and creates opportunities for the families of new kindergarteners to meet one another, the school principal and kindergarten teachers.

Drop-in Play and Learn Sessions

Each center operates a number of drop-in sessions during the week, creating opportunities for families to play together, support one another and build community. During drop-in sessions, children through parent-child play and interaction with other children, families get to know one another, and parents exchange parenting and other information with one another and with staff. Some sessions are geared towards certain age and interest groups. During certain program sessions, parents and children also engage in semi-structured activities such as crafts, music or story-time.

Eastside Drop-in Program Schedule (pdf)
West Side Drop-in Program Schedule (pdf)

Parenting Resource Library

Each center offers a multi-media variety of resources related to child development parenting issues, available for parents to use on site or borrow for use at home.

Family Fun Activities

Each center offers a variety of events throughout the year, designed specifically to bring families with young children together for a fun community-based activity. For instance Family Connections (formerly Shaker Family Center) hosts an annual Dads' Day Run/Walk and the Family Fall Funfest; Heights Parent Center co-sponsors an annual Family Fun Night at Wiley Middle School, and the City of Lakewood Family Room hosts an annual Summer Ice Cream Social and Super Sunday Preschool Fair. See Upcoming Events for specific information about those activities scheduled over the next few months.

Parent Education Programs

Each center offers periodic classes focusing on various aspects of child development and parenting, such as the challenges of parenting a toddler, nurturing the marital or romantic relationship in the midst of family life, and choosing the best education and care programs for the family's needs. See Upcoming Events for more information.

Support Groups

Each center operates support groups designed to meet needs identified in their particular home communities. For instance, the City of Lakewood Family Room currently offers regularly scheduled support groups specifically for Arab American mothers, and one for teenage mothers. Heights Parent Center currently offers a support group s specifically for parents or caregivers of children diagnosed with ADHD, and one for adoptive or foster parents. During support group sessions, child care is usually provided so that participants can focus on discussing shared issues, and supporting one another in addressing shared challenges.

In addition to these common programs and services, each center has its own unique offerings, developed in response to needs and opportunities in a particular community:

Open Gym - Family Connections (formerly Shaker Family Center) offers open gym sessions, with expanded hours during the cooler months of the year. The gym environment is designed to promote motor skills development and opportunities for children of all abilities to interact. The gym is designed specifically for stimulation and safety of children ages 0-5 years, and features slides, climbers, riding toys and other equipment for parents and children to enjoy together.

Toy Lending Library - Two of the member centers, the Heights Parent Center and the City of Lakewood Family Room, loan out high quality toys and play kits to families, supporting increased family interaction and developmentally appropriate learning. Parents can borrow toys for several weeks at a time, and children birth to age 8 years benefit from an often-changing array of toys which enhance creativity and learning skills without "breaking the family bank".

Learning English As a Family (LEAF) - Family Connections (formerly Shaker Family Center) offers a complement of programming designed to meet the needs of Shaker families with preschool age children for whom English is a second language. The LEAF program incorporates English as a second language classes for adults, a group educational experience for young children, and home visits that address the role of parent-child interaction in early child literacy development.

Child Care Scholarship Assistance Program - The Lakewood Family Room, as a part of the city's Division of Early Childhood, offers assistance to families seeking quality affordable child care and education, and a number of programs and resources for Early Care and Education providers.

For information about other programs offered by Consortium members, contact a center nearest you. Contact us.