Medford Family Network
Medford Family Network
Program Coordinator Marie Cassidy
Medford High School
489 Winthrop Street
Medford, MA 02155
Telephone: 781-393-2106
Fax: 781-393-2123
Email: mcassidy@medford.k12.ma.us
- What is the Medford Family Network?
- Parenting Education Workshops
- Playgroups
- Free Family Resources
- Caregiver Support Groups
- Special Events
- Newsletters
What is the Medford Family Network?
The Medford Family Network (MFN) of the Medford Public Schools is a fully funded family support and parenting education program that is accessible to every child and caregiver who lives or works in Medford. The program is designed to help nurture the development of children from birth through age 6 and support the families that care for this age group.
The MFN is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education, the Children’s Trust Fund and Friends of the Medford Family Network.
The goal of the MFN is to create a strong web of support for all families of young children. This is accomplished by making community connections in three ways: connecting families to families, fostering family contact with community resources, and building collaborative relationships among community agencies.
The MFN conducts on-going family groups whose goal is to bring families together to share parenting experiences, study early childhood development, form support networks based on interest, age issues and needs, develop community leadership capability, and learn about community resources.
We have a team of local service provider partners from health, early care and education who show their commitment to young children by becoming directly involved in family groups. As families identify areas of interest, the MFN draws on the expertise of our service providers to bring in group facilitators in order to address the family group’s chosen area of concern or interest. The information and presentations are determined by the needs and interests expressed by parents and caregivers.
Another important point of linkage of the MFN is the collaborative relationships between and among community agencies. Throughout the city, agencies are working together in new partnerships which are designed to result in more comprehensive service delivery to families of young children. The Network recognizes that working partnerships need to be fostered and supported, and offers resources to encourage and maintain these crucial relationships.
Resources available through the Medford Family Network directly or in collaboration with other community organizations include:
-Facilitated Parenting Enrichment Workshops and classes
-English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes with free Child Care
-MFN Advisory Board that reports to the Medford Family Resource Coalition Council
-Information and Referral Services
-Parent-to-Parent Discussion Groups
-Special Family Events
-Home Visitation Program
-Groups for specific interest areas such as single parenting, parenting children with special needs
-Lending Library of parenting information and books
-Specialized Support Groups (e.g., parents of multiples, grandparents)
-New Moms Group
-Program Development Opportunities
-Quarterly Newsletter
-Playgroups (drop-in; leader-led; age-specific; in Spanish; in Portuguese)
-Free Child care for certain events
We host day, evening, and weekend activities throughout the city, and all program services are offered free of charge. In order to ensure maximum family involvement, child care and transportation are available for some programs. There are people, events, experiences, challenging discussions, and creative moments, just waiting for you at the Medford Family Network. Try something new for your children and for you!
“The Medford Family Network has been instrumental in my meeting other parents of young children. That connection is most important to me. The Medford Family Network, supports and validates the reality that parenting is a very important, challenging, and valuable job. The energy of the staff and facilitators encourages parents to develop their own successful strategies.”
-Family Group Parent of Four
The Medford Family Network’s Parenting Education Workshops are high quality, specialized, family affirming, parent education and enrichment courses. They are crafted and planned to fit the needs of parents and caregivers in today’s society. They challenge participants to try new strategies to build on personal strengths and values and try new strategies at home.at home. Our facilitators and staff understand that not all strategies are effective for all participants in the programs we sponsor. We encourage participants to selectively choose those strategies they see as appropriate for their own individual situations.
“Love & Logic”, an eight part series, provides participants with an itinerary for growing a strong, healthy family. Parents develop positive relationships with children while utilizing parenting techniques that are practical, specific, and fun.
“Systematic Training for Effective Parenting” /S.T.E.P./ is an eight part workshop that focuses on methods of building healthy patterns of behavior in young children, while respecting the values that are important to each home. Each session provides an opportunity to gain greater insight into child behavior, child development, and development as a parent.
“Parenting with Style” is an eight week parenting curriculum that explores personality types, temperaments, and communication styles as related to adult relationships and the parent-child relationship. Topics include Getting Along, Resolving Conflicts, and Effective Problem-Solving Tips.
Many of the workshops include refresher courses. Limited Child Care and limited transportation are availabe. during the workshops and limited. Day and evening, weekday and weekend workshops are available.
The workshops are offered several times throughout the school year, and are adapted as appropriate utilizing the latest in research, best practices, and parent input from program evaluations. Registration is required for all parenting education workshops.
Facilitated Playgroups at the Columbus School
The Medford Family Network offers unique playgroups that are held at a classroom in the Columbus School in South Medford. These playgroups require registration in advance and are designed for parents and caregivers of children from 6 months to age 5: Baby Joy Fun – 6 Months to Age 1; Yahoo Crew – Ages 1 & 2; Kiddie Glee – Ages 2 & 3; Fun Galore – Ages 3 & 4. For families in which there are three young children, there is a playgroup entitled, “And Then There Were Three”. We focus not only on child development, but also on parent/child interaction and parenting information/discussion of parenting issues. Informational material on other MFN programs and services as well as community resources is available at the playgroups. Each playgroup meets weekly for 12 weeks. Special attention is given to the developmental tasks for each age group in a setting that encourages exploration and discovery.
Drop-In Playgroups
From September to June, MFN offers Drop-In Playgroups at the Family Center at Medford High School. Specific times and days are listed in each bi-monthly Newsletter. Registration is not required in advance, but all participants must sign in and out at the Center. The Family Center is fully equipped with clothes cubbies; activity areas such as blocks, books/puzzles, open art, housekeeping, dramatic play, puppets with a puppet stage, and math manipulatives; pla-doh play; a gated infant space; bathroom with changing table; lending library, parenting and family support information display areas; and welcoming staff to answer questions and/or take your registrations for other programs.
A favorite drop-in group is “Babes in the Woods” that is held outdoors at different sites along the Middlesex Fells Reservation Trail in Medford. We meet weekly on Tuesday mornings and alternate between strolls and hikes. The schedule is listed in the bi-monthly Newsletter. Parents and caregivers sign in on the day of the walk or hike.
In collaboration with the Medford Public Library, we offer twice-monthly Sing-a-Long time on Friday mornings at the Magoun Room in the Library. These playgroups focus on music and movement activities for children birth to age 3. Parents and caregivers sign in each time they attend.
Parent/Child Playgroups
Weekdays and Saturdays
Our weekday ” Jump ‘n’ Jive ” program leads parents and children in learning about music, making musical instruments, exploring space with creative movement, and dancing to a variety of rhythms.
Our “Dads Are Great” program provides specialized time for dads and those in a fathering role. This structured program involves caregivers and children in activities such as swimming, skating, hiking, going on scavenger hunts, and taking trips to the Zoo and museums. These programs occur on weekdays and Saturdays. Advanced registration is necessary.
The Medford Family Network Family Center is open and staffed on Saturdays from 10:00am to 2:00pm. This affords parents who work outside of the home on weekdays, as well as all parents, an opportunity to engage in relaxed playtime together. We offer both structured playgroups and drop-in time. “Mother Goose is on the Loose”, “April Fools Fun”, ”The Best from Bernadette”, “Moroccan Magic”, “Trash and Recycling”, and “The Big Circus” provide families with innovative, interesting time together with take-home ideas to help continue the fun and the learning. These structured parent/child playgroups require advanced registration.
Drop-In time on Saturdays is usually available from Noon to 2:00pm, and on days there is not structured playgroup. Check the bi-monthly Newsletter for the schedule.
The Medford Family Network’s Lending Library is a resource for parenting reference materials. Members of the MFN will find our library well stocked and quite helpful for parenting or caregiver research. Copies of the latest Boston Parents Paper, Well-Centered Child Newsletter, the MFN Newsletter and other parenting magazines, information bulletins, program flyers, and community agency brochures are available.
The Medford Family Network offers support programs that are targeted toward specific groups. They are an opportunity for individuals to meet others with common interests, and are a resource for anyone adjusting to the challenges that family life presents in today’s society. Fathers, grandparents, parents of twins, new parents, and single parents meet at regular intervals. This is also opportunity to form a new family group of your own, utilizing the resources, expertise, and technical assistance of the Network.
Programs such as, “Grandparents Group”, “New Moms Drop-In Group”, “Young Parents Program”, and “Gay/Lesbian Playgroup” are among the opportunities for families to connect in a supportive setting.
The “Fitness and Well-Being Group” offers coaching for post-partum Moms and anyone who wants to feel fit, energized, and, “in control”, physically and emotionally. The program incorporates fitness and well being into a parent’s lifestyle and includes individualized attention to your specific needs. This is a 12 week program.
“Open Group for Parents and Caregivers” aims to help parents build a strong and healthy family. Speakers visit on a variety of topics, and time is set aside for peer and group discussion. Our child care workers build a strong bond with children and lead them in free play, song, and developmentally appropriate activities each week. Children enjoy building relationships with their peers, while their parents do the same.
“New Moms Group”, is a program that is geared toward encouraging development in all areas of a baby’s early exploration of the world. The Family Center is transformed into a baby’s dreamland, and parents get together to talk, sing, and play with the babies as they watch and marvel at the magic of babyhood.
The, “Visiting Moms” program is a program where a trained volunteer with parenting experience will visit you at home for up to two hours a week from the latter part of your pregnancy to your child’s first birthday. Discussions during the visits are parent driven and registration is necessary for these programs.
The MFN also hosts an assortment of “Special Events” throughout the year. These events are highlighted in our bi-monthly Newsletter , and registration is necessary. Favorites include the International Family Festival, Haitian Flag Day, “Indoor Picnic”, “Children’s Book Week Celebration”, ” Splash with Dad Party,” “Valentine Tea with the Queen of Hearts “, and “ Character Breakfast and Literacy Activities with Curious George”.
Free Family Concerts are held at Wright’s Pond each Tuesday evening and feature such children’s entertainers as Ben Rudnick and Friends Band, David Polansky, Binkey Bear Magic Show , Cheryl Melody ’s Imagination Concert , and Raspberry Rose.