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 The
mission of the Family Nurturing Center (FNC) is to build nurturing
communities where children are cherished, families are supported,
and everyone works together to promote healthy human development.
To achieve this mission, FNC's multicultural and interdisciplinary
staff team works collaboratively with parents, professionals, community-based
organizations, and private and public institutions to train, mentor,
and support various community development and family support programs
that strengthen neighborhoods and families.
The FNC was founded in 1994 by Sharon Shay Workman, Ph.D., to spread
comprehensive systems of family support across Boston and the Commonwealth.
Initially established within the Department of Pediatrics at Boston
City Hospital, the FNC began with the goal of creating more nurturing
environments within the hospital and surrounding communities. As
programs expanded and the neighborhood work gained success, FNC
focused its efforts on working with many Boston organizations to
strengthen families in the inner city neighborhoods.
 In
1997, after three years of successful growth, the Family Nurturing
Center moved from Boston City Hospital to a community site in Dorchester
and then became its own independent non-profit organization with
501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in 1999.
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The FNC brings people together to learn, problem-solve, and work
in partnership to make it easier for families to provide safe, nurturing
homes and neighborhoods for their children. The FNC promotes a strengths-based
approach, involving everyone (both professional and parent partners)
as both teacher and learner, modeling teamwork, building programs
that are owned by the community and moving away from agency-driven
services where the needs of providers dictate what is available,
when, and to whom.
 The
Family Nurturing Center develops and pilots innovative family support,
educational and training programs, then mentors others who adapt
them for use within their own organizations and communities. By
working in partnership with others, the FNC changes the attitudes
and practices of both families and the professionals who deliver
services to them. This, in turn, inspires creative thinking and
builds alliances for systems change from the ground up. Thinking
big and starting small, the FNC has successfully spread nurturing
values and creative new family support programs across Massachusetts.
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