Goal:  Open a second Lakewood Family Room

1. Conduct an early childhood community needs assessment for the Lakewood Family Room - East
2. Secure a location for the new family room
3. Select programs to offer at the new family room based on the needs assessment
4. Raise funds to support programming at the new family room

History/Background

In 1994, the City of Lakewood opened the Lakewood Family Room.  Recognizing that supporting parents ultimately strengthens families and the community, the existing family room provides programs and support to help adults and young children thrive.  The City of Lakewood now hopes to open a second family room in an underserved area of the city.

The city has identified several potential sites. Lakewood is currently in the process of interviewing potential site location representatives to select an appropriate location for the new center.  By opening the new family room, the City of Lakewood will take a first step towards connecting families with early childhood resources, which is one of three city goals for supporting parents of young children.

Lakewood's second goal is to launch a communications campaign to spread the word to parents in the underserved area. Finally, the city will use its new family room to promote programs to engage and empower these parents.

Progress Toward Goals

Conduct an Early Childhood Community Needs Assessment: Recognizing that the new family room will serve a different population that may have unique needs, the City of Lakewood's CSP project team conducted a parent survey through the parent resource coordinators within the public schools. The survey aimed to assess the needs of parents of kindergarteners, particularly those kindergartners with younger siblings.

The initial data results from the first survey are complete. From the initial needs assessment, the team formed focus groups to further determine the areas in which parents have the greatest need.  Now, the team is conducting additional surveys of parents in the identified schools.  The surveys have been distributed at school drop-in sessions and through school parent resource coordinators.

Secure a Location for the New Family Room: The location for the new family resource room has been a challenge for the Lakewood team. To help identify an appropriate space, the team has created a specific list of needs. City staff have been meeting with community members and surveying potential sites in an economically challenged area of the city. Mayor Thomas J. George has agreed to walk the neighborhood with the early care and education team and to work with local property owners to help find a new location. The CSP team believes that with his support and political strength, they will be able to discover a suitable location.

Identify Programming: The information gathered through the surveys, focus groups, research, and suggestions drawn from discussions with community partners and other cities is helping the Lakewood team determine which programs and curricula the family room should implement to engage and empower parents.  Several parents from the community are interested in helping and advising on what programs to offer.
 
Fundraising: As Lakewood begins to formulate a concrete model for the new family room, the city will begin to focus on securing funding for program operation.

Other Progress

Lakewood leaders recently met with members of the Greater Cleveland Family Support Consortium, administration officials from the County Commissioner's office, and representatives of the Gund Foundation. The group believes the meeting was very productive, and anticipates another year of funding that will support the city's current literacy programs and perhaps provide an opportunity to consider funding portions of Lakewood's "Invest in Children" strategic plan.

Also, Lakewood is moving the free Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) clinics to the Madison Library branch - located in the heart of the new family resource room target neighborhood. The belief is that the new location will serve more families and have the ability to offer childcare during the clinics. Parents will have the option of free childcare, or, for older children, the library offers story time and activities at the same time each clinic will be conducted.

The team has decided to conduct "Neighborhood Walks" beginning August 1, 2006. The hope is that this type of visible neighborhood outreach in targeted areas between the hours of 3:30-7:00 p.m., will strengthen community buy-in for program efforts and engage hard to reach families.

Walking through the community will give staff an opportunity to inform residents about the Family Resource Room and other programs that are available for parents and their young children. Staff hopes that if parents feel connected and trust is built they will commit their time and effort to see programming succeed and continue over time.