Family Support Centers nurture children, strengthen families, and build communities…
For more than 20 years, Family Support Centers have helped Allegheny County’s children achieve brighter futures. Annually, close to 6000 children and their families are enrolled in one of 26 neighborhood-based centers located across the county. Family Support Centers are community hubs where parents with young children can attend programs, access resources, and connect with other parents. Centers are staffed by caring individuals who often live in the neighborhoods they serve. Training and technical assistance is provided to all 26 Centers through the Family Support Network and the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development.
Family Support Centers are guided by the Family Support Principles, a unique framework that ensures we work in partnership with families to meet their needs, build on their strengths, and continually improve our programs. In fact, parents play a vital role in shaping our programs, and they are encouraged to take on parent leadership throughout our network. Family Support is really a community-wide partnership between Centers, the Network, and parents.
Each Family Support Center is unique, offering its own menu of services, but all Centers are based on the philosophy that parents are a child’s first and most important teachers. The Centers support parents by working with them on parenting techniques and helping them achieve their educational and financial goals. And parents with children five and under can participate in Parents as Teachers, a home-visiting program proven to be effective at strengthening the parent-child bond and preventing child abuse and neglect.
Family Support Centers help families build protective factors by providing services in these core service areas:
- Health and Well-being
- Positive Parenting and Child Development (including School Readiness)
- Keeping Children Safe at Home / Family Preservation
- Economic Self-Sufficiency
- Easy Access to a Seamless and Comprehensive Network of Services
If a family needs a service not offered by their Center, staff will refer them to a local agency that can help.
Participation in Family Support is voluntary and completely free! To find a Center in your area, please click on Find a Center.
