Families First

🎉 Something exciting is coming! Our Silent Auction is just TWO WEEKS away!

Get ready to bid on gift cards, tickets, experiences, and more while supporting Families First. 👀 We have some great items lined up, and we’ll be sharing sneak peeks soon!

📅 Auction opens: October 15 at 12 PM
🎁 Auction closes: October 23 at 7 PM

Save the date, start your wish list, and get ready to bid! 🛍️

Every bid supports Families First and our work with parents across Greater Boston and Western Massachusetts. 💙

💙 Thank you for supporting Families First this September! 🛍️

Today is the last day of Stop & Shop’s reusable bag program benefiting Families First, and we want to say a big thank you to everyone who purchased a bag and supported our work with parents, caregivers, and families. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦💙

We’re also grateful to Stop & Shop for including Families First in this program and helping make it easy for shoppers to give back to local families. 🛒✨

Thank you for helping make a difference, one reusable bag at a time! 💙♻️

Join East Boston Social Centers for family-friendly activities and explore topics including: nutrition facts, eating on a budget, food resources, healthy foods from different cultures, and fun ways to stay active with your family.

📅 October 3rd 11AM - 1PM
📍 Mario Umana Academy, 312 Border Street

Register:

10.3.2026 Health, Nutrition, & Wellness Event Registration (En & Sp) Turn data collection into an experience with Typeform. Create beautiful online forms, surveys, quizzes, and so much more. Try it for FREE.

Join Countdown for Kindergarten and Neighborhood Villages for a day full of workshops, resources, wellness, advocacy, and connection - For Parents, By Parents: Let's Build Our Village Together

📅 October 17th 9:30AM - 3:45PM
📍 Bruce C Bolling Building

Register:

For Parents By Parents - RSVPify October 17, 2026 @ 9:30 AM - Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building - 2300 Washington St, Roxbury, MA 02119, USA

Parenting can feel like there’s never enough time. Between work, school, errands, activities, and everything in between, finding time to connect can feel like one more thing on the list. 💛

But connection doesn’t always require a big activity or a free afternoon.

📖 Read together for five minutes.
🚗 Have a conversation in the car.
🍳 Let your child help make dinner.
💬 Ask about the best part of their day.

These small, everyday moments can help children feel seen, heard, and valued. And over time, they can build strong relationships.

You don’t need more time. Sometimes, you just need a moment to connect. 💛

Yesterday, we came together for our Leadership Luncheon to talk about fatherhood, connection, and what it means to build strong relationships between fathers and their children.

A heartfelt thank you to John Badalament for guiding such a thoughtful conversation, and especially to the parents who joined us and so openly shared their experiences, stories, and perspectives. Your honesty and vulnerability made the conversation meaningful and reminded us that fatherhood is about more than being present. It’s about building relationships where children feel seen, heard, known, and valued.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, asked questions, shared in the conversation, and helped make the luncheon such a special gathering. 💙

❤️💛💚💙 Unidos, somos más.

From September 15 through October 15, we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month by honoring the histories, cultures, traditions, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities.

At Families First, 60% of the parents we partner with are Latino or Hispanic. We see every day how family, language, traditions, and community help children feel connected, supported, and proud of where they come from.

Looking for ways to celebrate Hispanic heritage as a family? Try one of these:

📚 Read a story by a Latino or Hispanic author
🎶 Listen to music, dance, and sing together
🍳 Cook a family favorite and share its story
💬 Ask a loved one to share a childhood memory or family tradition
🎨 Create together with bilingual, family-friendly activities

Celebrating heritage is also about creating opportunities for children to learn, connect, and see their families and communities reflected in the world around them. ❤️

💪 Parents Have the Power! 💪

Parenting can come with big questions, challenges, and lots of learning. You don’t have to do it alone! Join Families First’s Power of Parenting Program to build your skills, grow your support network, and connect with other parents.

✨ What you’ll gain:
🧠 Knowledge – Learn about your child’s growth and development
📝 Practical Skills – Discover strategies you can use every day
🤝 Support – Connect with other parents and community resources

👶 For parents and caregivers of children Birth to 8
🖥️ Virtual or in-person options
🌎 English, Spanish, and more!

Your experience as a parent matters. Your voice matters. You have the power to make a difference for your family and your community. 💙

👉 Ready to get started? Sign up through our form today:
families-first.org/find-a-program

💛 What happens when parents come together to support one another?

This spring, Families First partnered with the Madrina Project to bring Power of Parenting to 16 parents caring for newborns, including two fathers who joined alongside their partners. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

What started as a parenting program became something more: a community of connection, encouragement, and support. 🤝✨

From conversations about self-care and child development to parents cheering each other on, the impact went far beyond the final session. 💛

📖 Read the full story to see how this community collaboration helped parents feel supported and connected.https://www.families-first.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/FY27-Summer-Western-MA-Newsletter.pdf

What does fatherhood look like today? 👨‍👧‍👦

Join Families First for our Virtual Leadership Luncheon: Building a Culture of Shared Parenting on Wednesday, September 23 from 12–1 PM.

We’ll bring together fatherhood expert and Families First Program Facilitator John Badalament, alongside Power of Parenting graduates and parent panelists Jesus Baptista, Claudia Figueroa, Octavio Toribio Cruz, Desiree Castillo, Victor Dual, and Martha Baez, for a candid conversation about fatherhood, shared parenting, and building stronger partnerships between parents.

Whether you’re a parent, community leader, educator, service provider, or someone who cares about strengthening families, we’d love to have you join the conversation.

📅 Wednesday, September 23
⏰ 12–1 PM
💻 Virtual

Register today and be part of the conversation! Link in bio under Events - Families First