Family Resource Centers of Tioga County - Benchmark #22

The Family Resource Centers (FRCs) are free community centers for all families with young children. At the FRCs, parents and other caregivers can Learn information and skills to help with the challenges of parenting, Connect with resources and other families, and Be Involved to help create safe communities for children. At the centers you will find drop-in play, informal parenting workshops, parent-child activities, information on community resources, and a lending library of parenting books and children's books.

The Waverly Family Resources Center is located at 374 Broad Street, Waverly, NY. The hours of operation are Monday and Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., first Tuesday 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., other Tuesdays, 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Thursday, 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. For information about scheduled activities call 565-2374.

The Owego Family Resource Center is located at 228 Main Street, Owego, New York. The Owego site is open for play and parenting education programs Monday from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2nd and 4th Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. For information about scheduled activities call 687-1571.

All parents need access to information, resources and support to best nurture the development of their young children. In REAP sponsored community discussions citizens expressed the need for safe and affordable activities for families and children and safe community environments for young families. The Tioga County Strategic Plan, Tioga County Youth Board priorities, Comprehensive Community Health Assessment, and the Tioga County Child and Family Services Plan identify the importance of access to parenting education as a key component to insuring the health and safety of our children.
Easily accessible, comprehensive, high quality parenting education is an important component of Tioga County's commitment to the health and safety of our children.

Cornell Cooperative Extension worked closely with a number of community partners to establish the Waverly Family Resource Center in 1998 with funding from the New York State Children and Family Trust Fund. In 1999, providing services and facilities in all areas of the county using the Family Resource Center in Waverly as a model was established as a REAP benchmark. In August 1999, the Owego Family Resource Center opened with funds from local churches and businesses. In 2000, the Owego FRC received a grant from the NYS Children and Families Trust Fund. Since 2000, these two centers have served over 1700 families. In 2008, 280 families with 387 children were served.

Collaboration with community partners is vital to the success of the Family Resource Centers. Cornell Cooperative Extension provides leadership and oversight of all program and contracts. Local partners that participate in program planning and implementation include:

• Tioga Opportunities, Inc.,
• Tioga County Departments of Health, Social Services, Mental Hygiene, Youth Bureau, and Probation
• Local school districts
• Local churches
• Many human service agencies
• Local businesses

The annual budget for the Family Resource Centers is approximately $175,000. Funding sources include New York State Children and Family Trust Fund, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tioga County, Tioga County Department of Social Services, Waverly Community Chest, member item from Assemblyman Gary Finch, and local contributions.

The Family Resource Centers of Tioga County continue to provide high quality, easily accessible education and support for families with young children. In the current economic environment, securing funds for the long term sustainability of the program is a continuous challenge. Strong community support of the program has been instrumental in securing funds over these ten years. When additional funds can be secured, there are two goals for expanding the program. Both centers could offer more activities if they were located in larger spaces. We are also seeking funds to implement "FRC on the Road" to create outreach sites in smaller communities.