Target Population
Parents of children birth – age 5 are the primary target population. Families First seeks to reach all Elkhart County parents of children birth through five years of age. All parents, regardless of income, educational level, or status, need to learn about children's developmental needs, and effective ways to support their growth - this knowledge is not intuitive or instinctive. Child care professionals are the secondary target population. Families First seeks to strengthen relationships between the school system and childcare providers.
The work focuses on supporting and educating parents, care providers, and the entire community to prepare Elkhart County children to be friendly, attentive, curious, and engaged by kindergarten. This includes promoting and providing services directly to parents beginning at the time of the birth of their children and throughout the preschool years, as well as increasing the capacity of our community (i.e. churches, schools, child care centers) to support parents as they prepare children to enter school ready to succeed.