The Family Center/La Familia
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Most people don't realize the severity of our childcare challenges in Colorado: • Colorado Is a 'Child Care Desert' meaning that there is an undersupply of care for young children. *source: AmericanProgress.org • 2019 statistics show that 51% of all families In Colorado live in a child care desert. Larimer County is one of the counties MOST AFFECTED. *source: ChildCareDeserts.org • Low availability and high costs of child care keep families from the middle class in Northern Colorado *source: Coloradoan article • Colorado is one of the states with the HIGHEST COST of child care. *source: CNBC • Colorado preschool teachers in district-run schools made $30,500 on average -- nearly $22,000 less than public elementary school teachers (and significantly under the national average) *source: The Colorado Sun • Nearly 9 out of 10 single mothers of color with a young child have income that is inadequate to cover basic needs *source: The Women's Foundation of Colorado
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Early Childhood Education
Providing licensed early childhood education to children 6 weeks through 5 years old on a year round basis.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Family Center /La Familia is making an incredible impact regarding these challenges: *source: 2018 statistics
• Annually, our sliding fee program helps children distributing nearly $100,000 in scholarships.
• Our childhood program serves nearly 70 children per day during the school year and over 50 per day over the summer.
• We are expanding – adding a new preschool classroom expected to open in the Fall of 2019.
• We are the only non-profit childcare provider in our region that offers full wrap around services from infant to adult that benefit the whole family.
• We have helped 230 families with utility assistance totaling $70,000.
• Our advocacy closet assists over 150 families each year with diapers and basic hygiene products.
• We are the only non-profit In Northern Colorado the specifically serves the Latinx community.
• Our community garden provides families with fresh vegetables. We also use this produce in our kitchen to create meals for the children in our early childhood program.
• Our family development program has over 40 families that our advocates see on a regular monthly basis and many more for periodic resource and referral or crisis intervention.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Since 1995, The Family Center/La Familia, a bilingual organization, has offered high quality early childhood education and family strengthening services. Our primary goal is to strengthen and stabilize working families with children through supportive services such as childcare, parent enrichment programs and after-school tutoring.
We work in partnership with families through a shared vision that all families in our community have the opportunity to lead productive, healthy and interdependent lives regardless of race, income, ethnicity or where they live.
Our staff is comprised of dedicated community members who reflect the population we serve. They are committed to working with families through a collaborative, strengths-based and culturally competent framework.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We are proud of our highly educated, certified, caring and diverse staff at The Family Center!
38% Native Spanish Speakers
62% Fluent Spanish Speakers
73% Associate's Degree or Higher
90% of our Early Care and Education Staff are Teacher Qualified
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
El Nidito / The Little Nest
The Family Center/La Familia’s Early Care and Education Program is dedicated to providing safe, stimulating and nurturing education for young children. Our program, known as El Nidito, or “The Little Nest,” is a state licensed, Colorado Shines Rated, School Readiness site. With our curriculum we encourage learning through exploration and discovery, and we enable children to develop confidence, creativity, and critical thinking skills that will support them throughout their lives. We utilize the evidence-based assessment tool, Teaching Strategies GOLD, which shows children’s progress in all learning domains and all age groups. El Nidito provides a truly unique, multi-cultural, bi-lingual experience for children and families. We are dedicated to providing high-quality care and education for infants, toddlers, and pre-school-age children.
Community Garden
Our community garden, a partnership with The Growing Project, is family-friendly, volunteer-driven, free, and open to all community members. We grow a variety of organic vegetables and herbs that volunteers take home in exchange for their time, and what is left over is utilized by our center’s nutrition coordinator to create delicious, fresh meals and snacks for the children in our center.
Family Development Program
Through this program, family development workers work one-on-one with families to assist them in setting and achieving transformative goals in their lives to move toward self-reliance and healthy interdependence. The framework, a research-based approach known as the family development approach, focuses on helping families build from their strengths, take charge of their lives, and access resources that are available in their communities. We acknowledge that parents are the experts on their own families and want to do right by their child and utilize this model with families participating in programs across the center.
Advocacy Closet
The Family Center maintains a small advocacy closet that provides diapers and hygiene products to families in need. Community members can access the closet once a month. Families who access our advocacy on a regular basis will be referred to our Family Development staff to see if any of our other programs would be beneficial.
Utility Assistance: Energy Outreach Colorado
The Family Center is proud to be an Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC) Partner. Each year we help distribute thousands of dollars in utility assistance to Larimer County families who need help paying their utility bills.
Car Seat Safety
In partnership with Safe Kids Larimer County, The Family Center/La Familia hosts the only Spanish-speaking classes offered in Larimer county. The goal of the Car Seat Distribution and Education program is to reduce childhood transportation injury in Larimer County by providing car seats and booster seats to families in need at low ($30) or no cost and educating families on proper use and installation of car seats/booster seats.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
The Family Center/La Familia
Board of directorsas of 11/12/2019