Infants/Babies

The Home for Little Wanderers: Family Resource Center

Mailing Address (if different than physical location): 

Roslindale (main site)
780 American Legion Highway
Roslindale, MA 02131

Dorchester (satellite site)
Up Academy Dorchester
35 Westville Street
Dorchester, MA 02122

Boston (satellite site)
Suffolk County Juvenile Court
24 New Chardon Street
Boston, MA 02114
*check in at Juvenile Clerk’s office, 2nd floor

Phone: 

(617) 469-8501

Email: 

FRC@thehome.org

Website: 

www.thehome.org/frc

Hours of operation (or meeting times & dates): 

Roslindale

  • Tuesdays 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  • Wednesdays 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  • Thursdays 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
  • Fridays 12 noon– 4 p.m.
  • Saturdays 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Dorchester 

  • Mondays 9 a.m. – 12 noon
  • Wednesdays 12 noon – 5 p.m.
  • Fridays 9 a.m. – 12 noon

Boston

  • Mondays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Mission: 

The Family Resource Centers (FRCs) of Massachusetts are a statewide network that provides services to strengthen families and keep them connected to resources within their own community. There are FRCs in every county in the Commonwealth. In addition to assisting families, the FRCs support the children of those families that may have behavioral issues and need additional supports.

Locations

Up Academy Dorchester
35 Westville Street
Dorchester, MA 02122
United States
See map: Google Maps
Roslindale (Main site)
780 American Legion Highway
Roslindale, MA 02131
United States
See map: Google Maps
How to get involved/application guidelines and procedures: 

For services or to make a referral, please contact:

Amy McCarthy, Program Director
amccarthy@thehome.org 
FRC@thehome.org
(617) 469-8501

Key Programs Offered: 

How They Can Help
Families come to the FRC for many reasons. The goal of the FRC is to connect those looking for help to the appropriate services, whether they are within the FRC or in the community. Some of the resources the staff at the FRC help families find include:
• Housing support
• Utility assistance
• Legal aid
• Summer camps and sport leagues
• Other family needs

Children who need assistance or are at risk of needing court involvement (Child Requiring Assistance-CRA) can be assessed by an FRC clinician to develop a Family Support Plan to address the child’s and the family’s needs.

Services Offered
The FRC offers an array of services through its experienced staff.
School Liaisons help families with truancy, absenteeism, special education and behavioral issues.

Family Support Workers connect families with resources in the community.
Family Partners help families navigate the child-serving system and use their lived experience as caregivers to partner with other caregivers to help achieve their goals.

Peer Support Workers work with youth to engage them in a process of change by sharing their experiences and struggles
as young adults.

The FRC also facilitates groups and classes for families such as evidence-based parent groups and family enrichment activities.

Boston Healthy Start Initiative

Mailing Address (if different than physical location): 

35 Northampton Street, Miranda/Creamer Building, 6th Floor, Suite 604, Boston, MA 02118

Phone: 

(617) 534-5395

Fax: 

(617) 534-5358

Email: 

info@bphc.org

Website: 

http://www.bphc.org/Pages/Home.aspx

Hours of operation (or meeting times & dates): 

Meetings are held the third Wednesday of the month (there are no meetings in July and August) at New Academy Estates Community Center, 2908 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 02119, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Please call (617) 534 7828 to add your name to the dinner list, or if you need transportation. Dinner is served at 5:30 p.m.

Mission: 

Boston Healthy Start Initiative's mission is to protect, promote, and preserve the health and well-being of all Boston residents, particularly the most vulnerable. BHSI strives to fulfill the mission through a wide range of health initiatives that target preventable disease and injury.

Location

Boston Healthy Start Initiative
35 Northampton Street Miranda/Creamer Building 6th Floor, Suite 604
Boston, MA 02118
United States
See map: Google Maps
Key Partners: 

Program of Boston Public Health Commission. Associated with Father Friendly Program.

How to get involved/application guidelines and procedures: 

Community residents of Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, South End, and Jamaica Plain, can attend the meetings. Religious organizations, business owners, and community based agencies are also encouraged to attend.

Key Programs Offered: 

Boston Healthy Start Initiative has been funded since 1991 to ensure that Black pregnant women receive quality health care by funding case management, health education, interconceptional care, and maternal depression services. If you self identify as a Black pregnant woman you will receive services through a case manager who has experience in maternal and child health issues. Call (617) 534-7828, to ask for a health center near your home.

Community Meeting Space Available: 

New Academy Estates Community Center, 2908 Washington Street, Roxbury, MA 02119

Created: 
06/27/2011

Child Care Choices of Boston

Phone: 

617-542-5437 (KIDS)

Fax: 

617-292-4629

Email: 

cccb@bostonabcd.org

Website: 

http://childcarechoicesofboston.org

Mission: 

Child Care Choices of Boston (CCCB) serves as the Child Care Resource and Referral Agency for Boston, Brookline, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop.

CCCB plays a key role in making child care work for everyone by providing support, resources, technical assistance and training to a diverse community of families, child care providers, employers and businesses in the greater Boston area.

Each year, CCCB provides more than 6,000 low-income families with voucher management services that enable access to much needed child care. The program disburses more than $43 million annually, while working with close to 1,000 child care providers in the region.

Location

Child Care Choices of Boston
105 Chauncy Street 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02111
United States
See map: Google Maps
Key Programs Offered: 

Index of child care for parents, special needs support, financial assistance for child care, provider business assistance, English/Spanish professional development, resources for parents and providers.

Also (or Previously) Known As...: 

Part of Action for Boston Community Development/ABCD

Created: 
04/26/2011

Smart from the Start

Phone: 

(617) 858-4687

Email: 

rachelle.eddins@smartfromthestartboston.com

Website: 

http://www.smartfromthestartboston.org/

Mission: 

Smart from the Start is a community engagement and family support initiative of the City of Boston. It promotes school readiness by providing early learning opportunities and family support for families with children, ages 0 to 5, living in or around Boston Housing Developments in Dorchester, Roslindale, Mattapan, and Charlestown.

Location

Franklin Field Resource Center
70 Ames Street
Dorchester, MA 02124
United States
See map: Google Maps
Key Partners: 

City of Boston, Thrive in 5

How to get involved/application guidelines and procedures: 

Call Dorchester Program coordinator at (617)858-4687 with questions or to register for programs. Some events and programs may be drop-in. 

Main office is located at the Thomas Johnson Community Center, 68 Annunciation Road, Boston, MA 02120. Phone: (617) 635-5030. Fax: (617) 635-5704.

Key Programs Offered: 

Parent Power Hour: Are you a Parent or Caregiver?  Empower yourself and socialize with other parents to learn new ideas that lead to a brighter future. Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Program runs all year. 

Nurturing Smart Prenatal Moms: Are you pregnant? Learn about stages of pregnancy, infant massage, nurturing yourself and much more! Fridays, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Recurring program. Call to confirm.

Playgroups: Infant: Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.;
Toddler Play Groups: Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.;
Preschool Play Group: Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Created: 
04/19/2011

FAMILY, inc.

Phone: 

(617) 969-1454

Email: 

info@familysystem.net

Website: 

http://www.familysystem.net

Hours of operation (or meeting times & dates): 

 

Codman Square Health Council Meeting
  • Third Thursday of every month
  • Codman Square Health Center (637 Washington Street, Dorchester) Board Room
Mission: 

To create secure and nurturing environments of mutual support in which all children and families can thrive. A community organizing system, we create partnerships with individuals and institutions to connect educational, health care, economic, and other systems to collaboratively create healthy, safe, sustainable communities throughout the world.

Our values:
  • Every person is valued: from the youngest to the oldest, from the richest to the poorest
  • For healthy development, all children need to be nurtured through intergenerational relationships;
  • Harmonious support systems enhance the lives of children and families within the community;
  • Society’s systems should be in harmony with nature’s systems;
  • We must think globally and act locally – FAMILY starts at the local level and develops sustainably;
  • We are one family.

 

Location

80 Waban Hill Road
Newton, MA 02467
United States
See map: Google Maps
Key Partners: 

Community Agencies and Organizations:
Artists for Humanity
BOLD Teens
Boston Neighborhood Network
City Year
Codman Square Merchants Association
Codman Square Neighborhood Council
Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corp.
Dorchester Neighborhood Service Center
Roxbury Youth Works
STRIVE, Inc. 

 

Education Institutions:
 
City and State Departments: 
Mayor Menino
Boston Police Department 
Boston Public Health Commission
Department of Youth Services
 
Business Community
Valvoline, Inc.
Mount Washington Bank
Silverbrook Farm
Coutinho Farm
 
Partners in Haiti:
 
Community Agencies and Organizations 
Association of Schools and Teachers
City Of Verrettes
Caisse Populaire Solidarite Des Verrettes (Bank)
FATEM
ODKM (Desarmes)
MCC Desarmes
Faith in Action International
Societe D’exportation de Fruits et Legumes
The Haiti Connection
ODVA
 
Education Institutions:
DePaul University, Chicago, IL
Tuskegee University
University of Fondwa
Ecole Normale de Liancourt (Local Teachers College)
Ecole Providence
 
Government Agencies:
Bureau de District Scolaire des Verrettes
How to get involved/application guidelines and procedures: 

The individuals and families who take part in FAMILY are invited to become members of FAMILY. They are not clients, but members. The benefits of membership will vary from one individual and family to another, depending on their needs, but the major benefit is the security of being part of a caring network of mutual support.

The mission of FAMILY is global, and our vision is for its concept to spread in very natural ways. We are eager to engage in dialogue about all aspects of FAMILY, including potential areas of collaboration with interested parties. We invite you to join us.

Key Programs Offered: 

FAMILY works at both the level of the individual and the organization, in both Codman Square, Dorchester, and in Haiti:

  • We connect individuals with existing resources in the community so that they are surrounded by a uniquely tailored network of mutual support. To do this, we place FAMILY Advocates into strategic locations within the community to work directly with children and their families.
  • We partner with organizations to enhance their capacity to provide effective support to children and families by eliminating redundancy, improving community responsiveness, and sharing resources. To do this, our Director of Community Organization convenes gatherings with partner organizations where effective strategizing can occur. 
Also (or Previously) Known As...: 

Fathers And Mothers Infants eLders and Youth

Created: 
03/17/2011

Boston Medical Center

Phone: 

617.638.8000

Website: 

http://www.bmc.org

Mission: 

Boston Medical Center is an extraordinary community of health care providers devoted to the proposition that every person, regardless of his or her social or economic circumstances, deserves the best health care.

Our mission is simple: to provide exceptional care, without exception.

Located in Boston's historic South End neighborhood, BMC is a private, not-for-profit, 639-licensed bed, academic medical center and the primary teaching affiliate for Boston University School of Medicine. Consistent with its mission to provide the best in health care to all, BMC is the largest safety net hospital in New England and reaches into the community as a founding partner of Boston HealthNet, a network of 15 community health centers through Boston serving more than a quarter million people annually.

Location

Boston Medical Center
One Boston Medical Center Place,
Boston, MA 02118
United States
See map: Google Maps
Key Partners: 

BU School of Medicine, BMC HealthNet Plan, 

Boston HealthNet:

Codman Square Health Center
637 Washington Street
Dorchester
617.825.9660
(http://www.codman.org)

Dorchester House Multi-Service Center
1353 Dorchester Avenue
Dorchester
617.288.3230
(http://www.dorchesterhouse.org)

East Boston Neighborhood Health Center 
10 Gove Street
East Boston
617.569.5800
(http://www.ebnhc.org)

Geiger-Gibson Community Health Center
250 Mount Vernon Street
Dorchester
617.288.1140

Greater Roslindale Medical and Dental Center
4199 Washington Street
Roslindale
617.323.4440
(http://www.roslindale.org)

Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center
632 Blue Hill Avenue
Dorchester
617.825.3400
(http://www.harvardstreet.org)

Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
780 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston
857.654.1000
(http://www.bhchp.org) 

Manet Community Health Center 
110 West Squantum Street
North Quincy
617.376.3030
(http://www.manetchc.org)

Mattapan Community Health Center 
1425 Blue Hill Avenue
Mattapan
617.296.0061
(http://www.mattapanchc.org)

Neponset Health Center
398 Neponset Avenue
Dorchester
617.282.3200

Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center
435 Warren Street
Roxbury
617.442.7400

South Boston Community Health Center 
409 West Broadway
South Boston
617.269.7500
(http://www.sbchc.org)

South End Community Health Center 
1601 Washington Street
Boston
617.425.2000
(http://www.sechc.org)

Upham's Corner Health Center 
500 Columbia Road
Dorchester
617.287.8000
(http://www.uphamscornerhealthctr.com)

Whittier Street Health Center
1125 Tremont Street
Roxbury
617.427.1000
(http://www.wshc.org) 
How to get involved/application guidelines and procedures: 

Prospective volunteers can visit Volunteer Services, call 617.414.5122, or email Volunteer.Services@bmc.org. Otherwise, call one of the numbers listed below, or view the Provider Directory.

Health Connection — Call 800.841.4325

Make an Appointment. Find a Doctor. Get Health Information.

Call BMC’s Health Connection toll-free atBoston Medical Center - Health Connection 800.841.4325.

The Health Connection is available Monday thru Friday, 8:30 am - 5 pm. After normal business hours, callers may leave a message to be returned the following business day by a nurse.

The Health Connection is a toll-free telephone information service. The staff, which include registered nurses, help patients, families and members of the community access Boston Medical Center's physicians, programs and services.

Main Switchboard
Call: 617.638.8000

General Information
Call: 617.638.6800

Health Connection
Call: 800.841.4325

Medical Records
Call: 617.414.4201

Patient Billing
Call: 617.638.6157

TTY
Call: 800.439.2370

Key Programs Offered: 

BMC HealthNet Plan: BMC HealthNet Plan is the largest health maintenance organization for both MassHealth and Commonwealth Care programs. The mission of BMC HealthNet Plan is to be a quality and cost effective provider-sponsored health maintenance organization supplying excellent care coordination and services.

  • Sunny Start - Health Moms & Babies: BMC HealthNet Plan Members that choose to enroll in Sunny Start get help from care managers, including

    • Customized care planning for low - high risk pregnancies
    • Access to registered nurse skilled in obstetrics/newborn care
    • Free car seat (MassHealth members)
    • Free manual breast pump
    • What To Do When You're Having a Baby book & other literature
    • Childbirth/Parenting Education
    • Transportation assistance
    • Help finding community resources

Haitian Health Institute (HHI): In order to meet challenges to improved access and health services for Haitians, a consortium of health care professionals mobilized to establish the Haitian Health Institute (HHI) in 1996 rather than have disparate clinics across metropolitan Boston. The Administrative Office of the Haitian Health Institute is located at Boston Medical Center, 771 Albany Street, Dowling 4, Room 4416, Boston, MA 02118. You can phone them at 617.414.7702, send a fax to 617.414 3810, email hhi@bmc.org or view MyDorchester.org's community guide entry here.

Created: 
04/09/2011

Boston Parent-Child Home Program

Mailing Address (if different than physical location): 

Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts
200 Bowdoin St. Boston, MA 02122

Phone: 

617-474-1143 x 229

Email: 

lbrown@familynurturing.org

Website: 

http://www.familynurturing.org

Mission: 

What is the Boston Parent-Child Home Program?

• It is an innovative, home-based literacy program that promotes a “learning through play” experience for parents and their preschool children.
• It develops a child’s language and literacy skills, as well as their social-emotional development through positive parent-child interactions.
• It prepares children for academic success.
• It helps parents to realize their role as their child’s first and most important teacher.

Boston PCHP is free for eligible Boston area families with children between the ages of 18 months to 2-1/2. We provide the family with a trained home visitor who will visit with the parent and child twice a week. Together, the home visitor and parent discover ways to encourage verbal interaction and creative play using books and toys that the family gets to keep. Visits are not only educational, but fun! For more information, call Lydia Brown Boston PCHP Coordinator 617 474-1143 x229 or email lbrown@familynurturing.org. 

Also (or Previously) Known As...: 

FLASH Program (managed by Crittenton Women's Union)

Created: 
03/08/2011

Boston REACH Coalition

Mailing Address (if different than physical location): 

Erline Achille 1010 Massachusetts Ave, 6th Floor Boston, MA 02118

Phone: 

(617) 534-2291

Fax: 

(617) 534-2563

Email: 

reach@bphc.org

Website: 

http://www.bphc.org/chesj/Coalition/Pages/default.aspx

Hours of operation (or meeting times & dates): 

Meets 1st Monday of every month, 5:30 p.m., at the Grove Hall Community Center, 51 Geneva Ave., Dorchester.

Mission: 

The mission of the Boston REACH Coalition is to promote health equity and eliminate racial and health inequities in Boston. REACH: Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health. The 200-member coalition has met monthly for ten years. The coalition has earned an outstanding reputation in the local and public health community for its work in raising awareness of racial and ethnic health disparities, educating the public about health issues that affect the Black community in Boston, and for its credible partnerships with community members, policymakers, faith-based leaders, and academic institutions. The coalition includes community members, community groups, health care providers, business and faith leaders, and academic partners. With new funding as a Center of Excellence in the Elimination of Disparities (CEED), the coalition will expand its scope of work to address cardiovascular disease and public health issues related to men’s health, adolescent wellness, community advocacy, public policy, and environmental health. A strategic plan will ensure that community efforts to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities can be sustained.

Location

Center for Health Equity and Social Justice
1010 Mass Ave
Boston, MA 02118
United States
See map: Google Maps
Key Partners: 

Boston Public Health Commission (Center for Health Equity and Social Justice)

How to get involved/application guidelines and procedures: 

Come to a meeting!

Key Programs Offered: 

Ongoing advocacy & community organizing. Community Voices The Coalition has worked with community member to identify factors that can promote or negate the health of the community. Please take a look at their projects and videos. Annual Retreat REACH Coalition members participate in this annual retreat to review and strengthen Coalition objectives and activities. Pink and Black Team: American Cancer Society Making Strides During breast cancer awareness month in October, join the Pink and Black Team to raise money for the American Cancer Society Making Strides Walk. More>> HPV Pilot Project The Boston REACH Coalition in partnership with Mass CONECT is conducting a pilot project aiming to understand better the communication barriers for underserved women with respect to the HPV vaccine and cervical cancer awareness.

Also (or Previously) Known As...: 

REACH 2010

Created: 
02/15/2011

Fields Corner Children Thrive

Phone: 

(617) 624-8005

Email: 

info@thrivein5boston.org

Website: 

Field's Corner Children ThriveBoston Thrive in 5

Hours of operation (or meeting times & dates): 

Mon-Fri 9-5+ & scheduled events

Mission: 

Thrive in 5 works with all the people who support young children - their families, early care and education providers, health and human service providers, and their city - to ensure that every child in Boston has the nurturing early care and experiences that provide a solid foundation for success in school and in life. The Field’s Corner Children Thrive overall goals are to:

  • Empower and support parents and caregivers with new knowledge and skills to nurture children’s healthy development through reading, talking and playing.
  • Ensure collaboration among service providers, developing programs that prepare children to learn and meet parents and caregivers where they are and without prejudice.
  • Involve the entire Fields Corner community in creating, identifying, mapping and connecting resources that are accessible to all.

Thrive in 5 is active in five neighborhoods of Boston: for information about the overall program, please view the guide entry here or website here.

Key Partners: 

Dorchester House Multi-Service Center (Thrive in 5 "hub agency"); Codman Square Health Center, College Bound Dorchester, DotWell, Family Nurturing Center, Will W. Henderson Inclusion Elementary School and the Neighborhood House Charter School.

How to get involved/application guidelines and procedures: 

Contact Marika.Hewes@DorchesterHouse.org at (617)740-2572.

Key Programs Offered: 

School Readiness Roundtables: Parents, service providers and educators join together to connect children and families with resources and meet other community members. The Field’s Corner Children Thrive School Readiness Roundtable will be the decision-making body for what is included in an action plan to build a culture that supports early childhood education in Fields Corner. Parents, families, friends and neighbors are needed to make this an authentic plan for the Fields Corner area.

Created: 
12/29/2010

Thrive in 5

Phone: 

(617) 624-8005

Fax: 

(617) 624-9114

Email: 

info@thrivein5boston.org

Website: 

Thrive in Five Boston; Blog here

Mission: 

Thrive in 5's mission is to get every one of Boston's 39,000 children under age 5 ready to succeed in school and in life and to prevent the readiness gap currently evident at school entry. For the Fields Corner Children Thrive, please click here.

Thrive in 5 is a public-private partnership sponsored by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, with additional funding partners. Also see a breakdown of Thrive programs and goals. Contact information for various program branches is available here.

Boston Children Thrive in 5 is currently being implemented in 5 neighborhoods. In each neighborhood a "hub agency" leads and coordinates the effort. Each hub agency works in collaboration with many community partners.

Neighborhood : Hub Agency

  • Allston-Brighton : Family Nurturing Center
  • Roxbury/North Dorchester : Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative
  • South End/Lower Roxbury : United South End Settlements
  • East Boston : East Boston Community Partnerships for Children Neighborhood Cluster
  • Field's Corner : Dorchester House Multi-Service Center

Locations

Thrive in 5
c/o United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley 51 Sleeper Street
Boston, MA 02210-1208
United States
See map: Google Maps
Key Partners: 

Mayor Thomas Menino and United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley; Barr Foundation, Boston Medical Center, Boston Public Schools / Community Partnerships for Children, Children's Hospital Boston, Eos Foundation, Partners HealthCare, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

How to get involved/application guidelines and procedures: 

Thrive in 5 engages parents and representatives from Boston-based organizations in our Implementation Parternships. These partnerships serve as advisory groups for our work in Ready Families, Ready Educators, Ready Systems, Ready City, and Ready Children. Learn More & Get Involved.

Also (or Previously) Known As...: 

Boston Children Thrive in 5

Created: 
12/29/2010
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