Healthy Families

To be part of HFCM you must be:

• Under 21-years-old
• A first-time mom or dad
• Pregnant or parenting a child under one year old
• Living in one of the following towns:
  • Acton
  • Arlington
  • Bedford
  • Belmont
  • Boxborough
  • Burlington
  • Cambridge
  • Carlisle
  • Concord
  • Lexington
  • Lincoln
  • Littleton
  • Needham
  • Newton
  • Somerville
  • Waltham
  • Watertown
  • Wellesley
  • Weston
  • Wilmington
  • Winchester
  • Woburn

Every town in Massachusetts has a Healthy Families program. If you move to a town outside of the ones listed above, we can switch you to the program that covers your new area.

Each participant of HFCM will be assigned a home visitor called a Family Support Advocate (FSA). She will be a trained advocate who is non-judgmental, caring, and has lots of experience with young parents and children. We have advocates who speak English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.

This program can help you develop confidence as a parent by providing support during your pregnancy and the first three years of parenting. It will provide child development assessments and information and can help assist you through the many challenges of parenting. Also, there is a focus on helping you become a confident, independent person by working on personal goals and strengths. We can help you  access resources, explore housing options, and become an advocate for yourself and your child.

Yes! HFCM offers multiple groups each year where you have the opportunity to meet other participants in the program. There are support groups, celebration groups including holiday parties, and parent-child interaction groups like a field trip to go apple picking.

You can be a part of Healthy Families until your first child turns three years old.

Healthy Families is FREE! We are funded by the Children’s Trust Fund of Massachusetts.

Healthy Family’s goals are to:

1. Reduce child abuse and neglect by supporting nurturing parenting
2. Achieve optimal health, growth, and development in infancy and early childhood
3. Promote educational attainment, job readiness, and life skills
4. Reduce repeat teen pregnancies
5. Promote optimal parental health and wellness

We can connect you to multiple resources, including many at Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JF&CS).

You can sign up for the program by calling the Healthy Families Program Coordinator at 781-693-1232. Also, anyone can call and refer a young parent to the program as long as the young parent has said he or she would like to be a participant of the program.