A one-stop resource center for families

Written by Carol Heffernan

The Bay Area’s acclaimed Parents Place offers guidance and encouragement to families through an extensive range of classes, workshops, resource materials, counseling and consultation.

Amy Weiss, director of Parents Place in San Francisco, says “We are a family resource center: one-stop shopping support for children and families.”

Looking for a fun place where your children can play with other kids while you get to know their moms and dads? Visit the Parents Place playroom, stocked with modern, interactive toys and traditional favorites.

Interested in becoming part of a support group for single parents, adoptive parents or parents of children with special-needs? Parents Place hosts ongoing support groups and panel discussions to share information and ease parenting-related stress.

Wondering how to handle challenging parenting issues like tantrums, potty training or sleep habits? Attend a Parents Place lecture, special event or one of more than 50 educational workshops led by expert parent educators. Other popular workshops include choosing a preschool or school, anger management, bully prevention and a host of discipline-related topics.

From an enriching youth mentoring program to music classes for babies and toddlers to volunteer opportunities for preteens and teens, there is something for everyone in the family.

Parents Place is a program of the Jewish Family and Children's Services (JFCS), a nonsectarian, nonprofit organization that has provided services to individuals and families of all ages and backgrounds for more than 150 years. As the oldest social service agency west of the Mississippi, JFCS’ 40-plus programs serve more than 58,000 people annually in the Greater West Bay Area.

In addition to Parents Place, JFCS also works with senior citizens, refugees and émigrés as well as people with chronic diseases and/or disabilities. Along with a dedicated and caring staff, more than 2,000 volunteers help carry out JFCS’ mission of providing “professional and volunteer services for the purposes of developing, restoring, and maintaining the competency of families and individuals of all ages.”

With offices in San Rafael, San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Mateo, and Santa Rosa, Parents Place plays an integral role in this mission. Karen Friedland-Brown, Palo Alto Parents Place parent education coordinator, says, “Last year we offered 150 parent education workshops in the community – at schools, child-care centers, churches and synagogues, and in the workplace. We also saw over 700 families for individual consultation, where they received help for challenging but typical developmental child rearing issues.”

Beyond providing on-site consultation to parents and organizations serving children, Parents Place also has a selection of specialized programs for young children who are exposed to trauma and those with learning, behavioral, physical, developmental, neurological and emotional disabilities. Parents Place even offers free, non-emergency telephone advice for parenting-related issues.

“Parents Place supports parents in the world's most important job,” says Friedland-Brown. “We are strength based, which means we help parents feel confident about their parenting, and help them build on their positive relationship with their children. We provide information and support, which makes the job of being a parent more rewarding and satisfying.

“Ultimately, we strengthen families and communities.”

Parents Place is located in:
Marin, Palo Alto, San Francisco,
San Mateo and Santa Rosa
For more information call: 415.359.2454
or visit www.parentsplaceonline.org

Marin
Parents Place
600 Fifth Ave.
San Rafael, CA 94901
415-491-7959

Palo Alto
Parents Place/Koret Family Resource Center
200 Channing Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
650.688.3040

San Francisco
Parents Place/Koret Family Resource Center
1710 Scott St.
San Francisco, CA 94115
415.359.2454
ParentsPlaceSF@jfcs.org

San Mateo
Parents Place Eleanor Haas Koshland Center
2001 Winward Way, Suite 200
San Mateo, CA 94404
650.931.1840

Santa Rosa
Parents Place
1360 N. Dutton Ave. Ste. C
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
707.571.2048