Healthy Families of JF&CS is a free, voluntary, and confidential home visiting program for first-time pregnant and/or parenting moms and dads 23 years old and younger.
Weekly visits are provided in your home, virtually, or at an agreed upon location in your community, beginning during pregnancy or through the first year of your child's life. The visits are then adjusted to meet a family’s needs until three years from enrollment. The program works with each family to define their strengths and to set and achieve personal goals, learn about child development and parenting, and work towards becoming the parent one hopes to be.
To be part of HFCM you must be:
23 years old or younger
A first-time parent
Pregnant or through the first year of the child's life
Living in one of the following towns:
Acton
Arlington
Bedford
Belmont
Boxborough
Burlington
Cambridge
Carlisle
Concord
Lexington
Lincoln
Littleton
Needham
Newton
Somerville
Waltham
Watertown
Wellesley
Weston
Wilmington
Winchester
Woburn
Every town in Massachusetts has a Healthy Families program. If you move to a town outside of the ones listed above, we can switch you to the program that covers your new area.
Each family will be assigned a parent coach we call a Family Support Advocate (FSA). Each of our advocates are caring, non-judgmental, and trained early childhood professionals. We offer services in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Cape Verdean Creole.
Healthy Families supports young, first-time parents to create stable, nurturing environments for their children. Family Support Advocates provide information about proper baby care, promote nurturing, attachment, and positive parenting skills and ensure parents have a solid understanding of healthy child development. Young parents are supported as they work toward achieving their own personal goals and are connected to area resources to help them learn to advocate for themselves and their children.
Yes! Healthy Families offers multiple parent groups each year for the young parents participating in our program, including parent support, social activities and parent-child groups. These groups offer opportunities for young parents to meet each other and learn together. Our groups have included infant massage, cooking, visiting local farms and zoos, yoga, CPR and first aid introduction, and much more.
You can be a part of Healthy Families up to three years from enrollment.
Healthy Families is FREE! We are funded by the Children’s Trust of Massachusetts.
Healthy Family’s goals are to:
Reduce child abuse and neglect by supporting nurturing parenting
Achieve optimal health, growth, and development in infancy and early childhood
Promote educational attainment, job readiness, and life skills
Reduce repeat teen pregnancies
Promote optimal parental health and wellness
We can connect you to multiple resources, including many at Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JF&CS).
Food assistance
WIC
Transitional assistance
HiSET programs
Community programs
Housing resources
Fuel assistance
ESL classes
Immigration services
Domestic Violence services
You can sign up for the program by calling the Healthy Families Program Coordinator at 781-693-1232. Also, anyone can call to refer a young parent as long as the young parent has agreed to be referred and agreed to be contacted to learn more about our Healthy Families program.
To learn more about what Healthy Families offers or to make a referral for yourself or someone else, contact the Healthy Families Program Coordinator at 781-693-1232 or email ahuot@jfcsboston.org. Referrals are accepted during pregnancy or through the first year of the child's life.
Questions?
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Contact intake to find out how we can support the early relationships in your life.
