The Family Place of Transylvania County is a family resource center in Transylvania County with an early childhood education focus. This homegrown program was started more than 20 years ago by parents in the community. Its mission is to foster collaboration to reach and support families and youth and connect them with resources in the community.
“Through positive parenting education and adult/child interactive opportunities, The Family Place aims to provide learning experiences within the family environment and the community in order to help families grow,” explains Executive Director, Erin Drew. Erin came to The Family Place five years ago with a background in social work and non-profit organizations. The Family Place has two locations: one in Brevard and one in Rosman. They offer family support programs such as parenting programs, drop-in play groups and chat groups (for grandparents, dads, bilingual speakers, foster and adoptive parents and others) offering a wide variety of discussion topics aimed at building community and mutual support. She also serves on the Executive Board of the C.A.R.E. Coalition and feels that connecting with other organizations in the community is critical to supporting the mission of The Family Place.
The Family Place and C.A.R.E. have joined with other agencies in Transylvania County to form The Family Support Network. Current members include Transylvania County Library, Transylvania County Parks and Recreation, SAFE Inc., The Haven, The Children’s Center of Transylvania County and Mountain Sun Community School. The Family Support Committee sponsors activities such as The Family Dinner Series. This free monthly program was created to bring families and their children together for dinner, encouraging play among the kids, and family-oriented discussion among the parents. Monthly topics include nutrition, positive parenting, family fitness, mental health concerns and more.
The next Family Dinner Series presentation will be held on Monday, January 22 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Transylvania County Library’s Rogow Room. This event, “Mental Health and Suicide Prevention,” will bring in a panel of adolescent mental health specialists to talk about promoting good mental health in your child, warning signs of psychological problems, and how to find help.
Drew hopes that future partnerships can be forged and nurtured with community centers in outlying rural areas of Transylvania County. She also hopes that our community can come together to talk about what families need, identify the factors preventing those needs from being met, and ultimately find ways to meet those needs. Continued collaboration with community partners such as C.A.R.E. will help to create awareness and more positive outcomes for families and youth in all of Transylvania County.