New Program Focuses on Empowering Families and Building a Support Network

In July Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley was one of five family resource centers in Wisconsin selected to offer a pilot program called Early Childhood Education Families and School Together (ECE FAST) to families in our service area.  The opportunity was made possible with a capacity-building grant from the Department of Children and Families Preschool Development Grant initiative.

A Little History
Founded 31 years ago, FAST was one of the first prevention/early intervention programs offered in school settings to develop practical applications for mental health and family theory research findings.  The Wisconsin FAST project supports a pilot of the newly revised Early Childhood Education Level. Family Resource Center’s entire parent education team, the parent partners and community partners received 16+ hours of training and coaching in the ECE FAST model. 

The first eight-session ECE FAST program ended in October with a graduating class of eight families.

While the program is typically offered in-person, Family Resource Center team rose to the challenge of delivering the program virtually during the pandemic. Parent Educators Ashley Bruggeman and Jillian Cordova facilitated the group along with community partner, Michelle Johnson from Hammond Public Library. Two parent partners were also key members of the team, Robert Zubrod and Elizabeth Chapin. This FAST session focused on families with children age 2-4. It consisted of family-to-family interactions, parent empowerment activities, and weekly family meals.  Program materials and prizes were delivered to participants’ doorsteps each week.  

Jillian shares, “ECE FAST is an early childhood program partnership with families that is meant to strengthen the parent-child relationship. It empowers parents, builds connections, and creates a support network – something that I witnessed firsthand as a facilitator. The parents were truly empowered and led their children in all the activities set forth.”

“I was asked to be the father partner presenter and I have never been one to turn something new down,” said Robert. “While I know participants took so much away from this group, as a presenter I took just as much away. I learned that I need to slow down. Let my son take the lead; let him take control and I need to follow his lead, just as we coached the parents.”

“I was blown away with the amount we could accomplish in just an hour and half each week,” Elizabeth says. “This program really helps you see the world through your child’s eyes. It helps you understand how your child learns so you can cater to them and their way of learning.”

“I got a little teary-eyed hearing the affirmations at graduation and how powerful they are,” said Jillian.  “This is something every parent needs to hear.”

“It doesn’t end at graduation,” says Elizabeth. “The families will continue to be involved together. They will still meet for support – weekly or monthly.” Families will continue to participate in follow-up meetings, run by the families, for 2 years.

“It was truly an awesome experience all around,” commented Michelle. “A good team will make any program. Working with Ashley, Jill, Robert and Liz was such a wonderful experience and it showed every week when we were together, how we worked together so well in hosting a program that the parents and children were engaged in virtually.”

“Families were surprised that their children were able to sit in front of their screens and take so much away from the program, “said Ashley. “While our lives have had to pivot in the last 9 months, Family Resource Center will continue to meet the needs in our community and help support children and families in any way that we can.”  At the end of the training process Ashley will be designated as a FAST Trainer, certified to train facilitators in other FAST programs.

Join us…
Registration for our next session, starting in January is open! Register today by going to our website, www.frcscv.org/register-today/