Family Development Center
Click here to browse our listing of upcoming parent education programs, playgroups, and other family programs available through ECHN's Family Development Center.
About ECHN’s Family Development Center
We are a team of committed, caring professionals dedicated to helping families develop their strengths and parenting confidence. Our backgrounds include education, child development, social work, counseling, public health, and human services. All are cross-trained, allowing our energies and expertise across programs. Many of us are parents ourselves. We also utilize trained volunteers to enhance our services.
Our programs are available at sites throughout Manchester, Vernon, and surrounding towns. These include hospitals, churches, child care centers, libraries, the parent's own home.
Most of our services are FREE or offered at a minimal cost. Our services are 100% grant-funded.
Our main office is located at 94 West Middle Turnpike, Manchester, CT 06040. Telephone (860) 646-1222, ext 2450.
Program Services
- Early Head Start - 646-1222 ext 2748. Designed for income-eligible families with children prenatal through age three. Provides educational home visits, social activities, health and child development, and community resource information to income-eligible families with children prenatal – age 3. Center-based services are also available.
- Family Resource Centers - 647-3330 (Manchester) 875-5771 (Vernon). Provides parent education workshops, educational playgroups, home visits, after school and preschool programs, positive youth development, links to childcare and adult education, support to child care providers, and community resource referral. See more information below about these two wonderful centers.
- Parent Education and Assessment Services (PEAS) - 646-1222 ext 2787. Provides educational home visits, child development information, and resources to children aged Birth-8. Families must be referred by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to enroll.
- Nurturing Connections - 646-1222 ext 2457 (Manchester) ext 2539 (Vernon). Provides weekly phone support to first-time parents, via trained volunteers. Child development, parenting information, resources, mailings, and social activities are provided.
- Nurturing Families Network - 646-1222 ext 3825. Provides educational home visits to first-time parents prenatal through age five. Child development and parenting information, community resources, and social activities are provided.
- Nurturing Group (The ABCs of Babies) - 646-1222 ext 3825. Provides information on prenatal wellness, nutrition, infant care and development, and resources to pregnant women under age 21 and their support person via a 10-week class.
Our Family Resource Centers
ECHN’s Family Development Center offers two Family Resource Centers for our communities:
- At Washington Elementary School, 94 Cedar Street, Manchester – 860.647.3330
- At Maple Street School, 20 Maple Street, Vernon – 860.875.5771
The staff of the two Family Resource Centers are committed, caring professionals here to help you in one of the hardest jobs there is: Parenting.
The Resource Centers offer education and support for the entire family in a location that will be a hub of family activity for many years – the neighborhood school. We know that children learn, grow, and thrive with the support of their families, caregivers, and friends.
The FRC staff welcomes families to choose from a continuum of services that we offer or can help you find:
- Preschool child care
- School-age care
- Parent-child playgroups
- Parent education
- Support for child care providers
- Positive youth development
- Adult education
- Resources and referrals to community services
- And more
The Family Resource Centers are a one-stop location for the entire family, based on the "School of the 21st Century.”