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Impact

Families First has supported parents since 1988.

In the last decade, our expert
Program Facilitators
have worked with more than

25,000 parents

of more than

50,000 children in Massachusetts

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Watch our video!

“It takes a village to raise a child.
Families First is our village.”

Families First brings parents together in their own communities to build…

Knowledge Parents learn about child development

Skills Parents gain new parenting strategies

Support Systems Parents connect with other parents and community resources

Early childhood experiences matter because...

80-90% of brain structures

are built in the first 5 years
of a child’s life.

One stable and responsive
relationship

helps children overcome adversity.

$4 to $9 in social costs

are saved for every $1 invested in early childhood programs.

For Parents

Come together with other parents to learn new and fun ways to support your child’s learning and growth!

“You're not born a parent; you have to learn it. A program like this... brings some form of peace to your life with your kids.”

- Mirella, parent participant -

For Partners

Achieve your organization’s family engagement goals
by partnering with Families First!

“Many parents have made deeper connections with our staff… The community that was built by the Power of Parenting program is going to have a lasting impact.”

- Gloria DeVine, East Boston Social Centers -

Power of Parenting Video Series

Episode 1: Love & Limits

In each episode, you can listen to Families First's highly-skilled Program Facilitators discuss a concept from our Power of Parenting curriculum.

The first episode, delivered by Pam Bailey in English and Yesenia Menendez-Sanchez in Spanish, offers guidance on how you can effectively set limits with your young ones at home. This tip is especially timely, as social distancing can cause children to test limits more often.

Watch the Video Series

Get Involved!

Families First offers unique support for parents that need it most.
The positive impact on children’s learning and development will last a lifetime.

We would not have this impact without our dedicated community of donors and volunteers.

What’s new at Families First

New Hire: Senior Director of Programs – Maridel Perdomo

Families First is excited to announce that Maridel Perdomo has joined Families First as the Senior Director of Programs.

Maridel joins Families First from Schools for Children, Inc., where she was the Director of Extended Learning Programs. There, she was responsible for managing multi-site programs, servicing 200 students, and leading 30 staff members. Prior roles have included Site Director of YMCA at Gardner Pilot Academy, Preschool Director at Pine Village Preschool, and roles as Job Developer and Youth Program Director with Centro Latino. Maridel earned her master’s degree in public administration from Framingham…

Introducing the Parent Representative Committee (PRC)

Families First believes that parents are the center of our work and that they can be critical levers for systems change. When parents are actively engaged, it leads to better outcomes for children, families, and communities.

To build on this internal culture of centering parents’ voices to inform our work, we launched a Parent Representative Committee (PRC) to seek parents’ input on key programmatic and organizational decisions at Families First.