Mission
The mission of the Addison County Parent/Child Center is to provide support and education to families and assure that our community is one in which all young children get off to the right start with the opportunity to grow up healthy, happy and productive.
Toward this end, programs and activities of the Parent/Child Center aim to meet the following goals:
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Strengthen families
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Help young families achieve self-sufficiency
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Prevent or alleviate major stresses on families
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Ensure that all children get the love and positive attention that they need
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Help teenagers make responsible decisions about family life
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Encourage prevention activities in our community
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Work cooperatively with other agencies in providing services
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Help other community groups establish similar programs
History
The Parent/Child Center was founded in 1980 in response to a shortage of quality child care and services for Addison County families with children under the age of three.
When the Center began, our dream was to provide caring, respectful and effective help for young families. We believed that all parents needed and deserved support in the difficult and wonderful job of raising children.
We especially hoped to reach out to those who might find the job overly stressful: teen parents, parents whose infants and toddlers had special needs, and parents who were raised in abusive families and lacked positive role models for parenting. We created a program that would enhance rather than duplicate services already available to families in the community.
We found that there was much to be done and the Center grew rapidly in size and scope. In the first year of operation we served 70 families by offering child care and parent education. Today we serve almost 2,000 Addison County residents annually by providing child care, parent education, play groups, job training, academic education, social services and assistance in moving from welfare to work.
Financial Statements