In 2017, the New York City Administration for Children’s Services developed the Family Enrichment Center (FEC) model. Fully operated by local organizations known for their knowledge of
the community, the Centers are places of creativity and hope. Guided by the belief that parents and other community members are the experts in their lives, the Centers foster conditions that help all family members be their best selves. While no two Centers are the same, all are based on the co-design approach that encourages community ownership, respect, and equity. A successful Center helps to lift up the enormous strengths in each child, youth, and adult who walks through its doors and supports healthy family functioning.

The Centers partner with local leaders, businesses, and civic organizations, providing physical and virtual space with offerings that help individuals dream big dreams, make community and personal connections, and get the support most helpful to them.

The approach is built around three key strategies:

Community Leadership:

Recruitment and support of community and parent leaders who co-design and co-facilitate FEC offerings.

Parent Cafés:

Parent-led discussions where participants share personal experiences and knowledge to identify ways to support one
another. There are also café options for single people who may not play a parenting role. Cafés and printed materials are offered in multiple languages commonly spoken in the community.

Appreciative Inquiry:

Together, community members discover the best of their
communities, create a dream for the future, and design and walk a path to get there together.

Protective Factors:

When protective factors are well established in a family structure, studies have shown that the likelihood of child abuse and neglect diminishes and well-being increases. The five evidence-based protective factors include: parental resilience, knowledge of parenting and child development, social and emotional competence of children, social connections, and concrete support in times of need. The Centers have incorporated economic mobility and communication as two additional protective factors.

The FEC model is the result of 18 months of research, development, and input from community providers and other stakeholders. It is shaped by Strengthening Families, a family protective factors approach created by the Center for the Study of Social Policy. The early success of the FECs has been mainly due to the dedication and resilience of community members who view the Center staff as their extended family and the FEC as their second home. Initially launched by three local organizations in Hunts Point-Longwood, East New York, and Highbridge, Centers are co-led by an advisory group of committed community members who choose the Center’s name, decide on the decor, and help spread the word to others who may need some support or have an interest in giving back to the community. Between 2022 and 2025, ACS will invite local organizations to submit proposals for 27 new Centers citywide, bringing the total number to 30.

Using a strength-based approach to community planning, Centers use empowering questions to guide a fun and engaging collaborative process. Spaces are bright (in both color and energy), warm, and inviting, where all are welcomed to participate in any of the following:

• Meet neighbors

• Co-facilitate groups

• Pick up or drop off a donation

• Call or text about a family issue or need 

• Socialize over a meal                         

• Build knowledge or a skill

• Join a virtual meeting or discussion

• Help plan, organize, or lead an event

• Sit, reflect, and relax

• Participate in fun, family and community-centered activities

• Learn or share community programs and resources

The Centers collaborate with community partners and agencies to bring in resources based on the desires of the community. This ensures that resources are within easy reach for all community members. Offerings change as the community’s interests change and the advisory group helps the
staff make decisions. While feedback is asked for and recommended, there is no requirement that community members of an FEC pay a fee or give any personal or identifying information. Days and hours are based on community preference and confidentially is respected.