Families in Leon County who need access to parenting, mental health and technology resources now have access to a one-stop shop with all of that and more.
The Family Resource Center is now open in the Children’s Services Council (CSC) office at 2002 Old St. Augustine Rd. Local leaders and supporters were in attendance at the grand opening on Thursday.
Additionally, the CSC will host an open house for the center on Saturday, August 24 at 10:00 a.m., where the public is invited to meet the service providers, tour the grounds, and enjoy free food.
And more of these centers will eventually be established in other urban and rural parts of the county.
As families enter the centre, they are greeted by a play area where children can enjoy books and games, while parents have the opportunity to seek specialist advice or use a computer lab. The décor is tree-like, reflecting the council’s focus of encouraging family growth and cohesion.
“I think this is great and I think we need more of this, but this is the first of, I hope, many,” State Senator Corey Simon told the Tallahassee Democrat.
The center is a collaboration between the CSC and the Children’s Home Society of Florida to provide holistic support to children and families in the community. The Children’s Home Society is a nonprofit organization that provides services to support children and families in Florida.
CSC Executive Director Cecka Rose Green previously served as executive director of the Children’s Home Society before being selected for her current post in 2021. Family resource centers are different from community centers, Green said, explaining that they offer research-based approaches to building neighborhoods by strengthening and supporting families.
CSC funds services to build strong families and healthy communities and, through the Family Resource Center, aims to reduce child neglect and abuse and improve kindergarten readiness.
In March, Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson urged the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce during its annual economic forecast to make early learning a community priority because it is directly tied to building a strong workforce. He said over 1,000 kindergarten students in the county are not school-ready.
Additional resource centers managed by Children’s Home Society are located in Putnam and Volusia counties. Kim Sineath, executive director of family resource centers at CHS, emphasized that each center offers unique services tailored specifically to its community.
“We’ll connect them with resources right here so families can more easily get what they need throughout the day,” Sineath said. Families can request specific resources and center staff will help connect them directly with free providers.
Further centres planned for the future
The center was originally approved by council in 2023 with a budget of $4 million. The current bill for the Cross Creek site was $609,000 for construction and hiring staff. It is expected that over 150 families will use the center within the first five months of its opening.
Holly McPhail, CSC’s director of special projects, said the remaining $4 million will be used to build more centers.
“There may be opportunities to expand services at this location, but we also plan to expand to other locations,” McPhail said. Those other locations include Fort Braden, the Griffin Heights and Frenchtown neighborhoods, and the Macon community.
Alaijah Brown covers children and families for the Tallahassee Democrat. You can reach her at [email protected]Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3.
