The Family Network provides education and support to parents of children ages 0-6, including the prenatal/pre-adoptive period. Our activities include playgroups, parenting classes, discussion groups, consultations on parenting concerns and child development, family visits (home or elsewhere), health and developmental screenings, family activities, a swap shop of equipment and clothing, a Lending Library of books and videos, and referrals to other Island resources. Our “home base” is the Family Center which opened in 1997 at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. Look for directions under the FAQ section of this web site. Currently, there are 670 active families in the Network.

As a member of the Martha’s Vineyard Family Network, you will receive our monthly newsletter which includes a calendar of activities, and information about children and parenting. In addition, a free book on child development or breastfeeding is available when you sign up for the newsletter. If you have not received your book, please ask a staff member for it.

All of our activities are free of charge due to grants from the Massachusetts Department of Education and The Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund. Childcare or childcare reimbursement and transportation are provided for all activities upon request.

The M.V. Family Network is one of more than 40 Family Networks statewide. They were founded upon the idea that children are society’s greatest resource. The primary goal is to help strengthen and support all families in their efforts to raise healthy children. Many Island families rely upon the Family Network as an important community resource.
One reason the Family Network has been so successful is the dedicated involvement of parents. The Parents Advisory Committee (PAC) is a group of parents who meet monthly with staff to provide direction and feedback on programming. You are invited to attend meetings to contribute your ideas.

Please feel free to contact us in person, by phone, or by e-mail with your comments, questions, and suggestions. We want your feedback.

Family Network Staff
&
Family Network Parents Advisory Committee (PAC)

Our Mission

The mission of the Massachusetts Family Centers is to provide resources and support to assist all families in becoming as strong and secure as possible. These centers are family centered, community-based and serve to connect families with each other as well as to other resources within the community. The center’s environment is welcoming, accessible and respectful of the values and beliefs of the family. Staff are culturally competent and reflect the cultural, linguistic, racial, and ethnic diversity of the population of the community. Parents are partners in program decision-making and governance of the family centers.
The Mass. Family Centers are founded on the following beliefs:

• Children are society’s greatest resource. In their own right children deserve and need the opportunities that will maximize their individual potential and healthy development
• Children do not live in isolation. The family is the primary institution shaping the development of children. A child’s development is dependent on the quality of family life.
• The family life is inextricably dependent upon and affected by the quality of community resources, services, and social support.
• Most families want to be able to help their children grow into healthy, capable adults.
• All families deserve and need support to achieve optimal development.
• Seeking support and information is a sign of family strength, not a sign of weakness
• The ability of parents to nurture children is strengthened if they feel competent in other areas of their lives.
• Families and individual family members are constantly growing and changing and need an ongoing continuum of supports.

Brief History

Chapter 1: In September of 1994, The Massachusetts. Department of Education (DOE) awarded MV Community Services (Early Childhood Programs) a Mass. Family Network grant of $75,000. This highly competitive grant was awarded to ten communities for a three-year pilot. The goal was to provide family support services to families on the Vineyard with children ages 0-3 (including prenatal).

By 1997, DOE had increased the number of Family Networks to sixteen, each receiving yearly grants of $150,000. DOE has lobbied the legislature for expansion funds each year. As of July 2002, there were 42 Family Networks statewide which represented 162 towns. The original intention had been to increase funding yearly until every town in the state had Family Network services.

The yearly budget allocations depend upon constituents making their views and values known to their local representatives. If you would like more information on how to contact your representative, please call Marney at x283.

Chapter 2: In 1996, The Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund awarded six Massachusetts Family Center grants; Early Childhood Programs of MV Community Services was awarded $75,000 for three years. This new grant was used to extend all Family Network services to families with children ages 4 and 5 and to establish the Family Center at the High School, the Family Network’s new “home base”.

The Family Center was created in collaboration with the High School’s Vocational Department, establishing the fifth vocational program, Vocational Early Childhood Studies, whose classroom is located adjacent to the Family Center space. The Family Center is a collaborative space serving the needs of the High School community as well as the parents. children, and staff of the Family Network. The high school students contribute art work, upkeep and childcare while Family Network parents, children, and staff contribute the opportunity to observe child development, parenting styles and family systems.

In 1999, the Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund held another open round of grant applications for Family Centers. Early Childhood Programs again received the grant, this time for 5 years at $60,000 annually.

Administration

The Family Network is administered by Early Childhood Programs of Martha’s Vineyard Community Services. Family Network staff meet weekly to coordinate the day-to-day activities of the Family Network. The High School Vocational Childhood Studies teacher is included in these weekly meetings to support the collaboration between the High School and the Family Network.

The PAC (Parents Advisory Committee) meets one evening a month with the staff. Programming, budgeting and evaluation are discussed. Parent input is the cornerstone of this program’s success.

The Martha’s Vineyard Council for Young Children (MVCYC) is a community group which provides overall direction and determines general policy for these two grants. The Council has been in existence since 1991 and meets quarterly. Members include parents, a PAC representative, early childhood professionals (including teachers, public school staff, and child care providers), health professionals, and community representatives interested in the well-being of the Island’s youngest children and their families. The public is invited and welcome. Ask staff for the current schedule.

The structure and guiding principles of the Family Network are determined, in large part, by our funders, the Massachusetts Department of Education and the Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund. Our funders appreciate hearing directly from parents and community members:

Massachusetts Department of Education
350 Main Street , Malden, MA 02148
781-338-6363
Attn: Claire Brady

Massachusetts Children's Trust Fund
294 Washington Street, Suite 640,
Boston, MA 02108
617-727-8957 x325
Attn: Karole Rose