Welcome to Family Outreach of Bryan / College Station
Life can get pretty stressful. Too many demands. Not enough time. Never enough money. Sometimes in frustration we might want to take it out on our kids.
Family Outreach is a community based volunteer group dedicated to strengthening family life. We offer free in-home services designed to educate parents about child development, positive discipline, family relationships, community resources, and emotional support for the difficult job of being a parent.
Family Outreach volunteers are men and women committed to a common goal - helping children grow up safe, confident, and capable of building better families of their own.
Family Outreach Can Help...
- If you feel isolated and don't know where to turn.
- If you need someone to talk to, someone to listen.
- If you feel problems are overwhelming you.
- If you want to learn new parenting skills.
- If you are worried about abusing or neglecting your children.
History
The first Family Outreach was opened in 1973 in Richardson, Texas, sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women, Inc., Richardson/Plano Section. It was a joint project of community volunteers and the Texas Department of Human Services (TDHS). Research in the early 1960s had begun to show that volunteers could be trained to offer effective, supportive services to families “at risk” of abusing or neglecting their children. Meanwhile, TDHS was experiencing a lack of funds with which to serve these same “at risk” families. Consequently, the program was designed to fill that service gap. Although the idea of using lay people to deliver casework was unusual, the program proved to be successful, and soon was duplicated in several other urban areas across Texas.
In 1981, the idea of an “umbrella” organization for all the centers was conceived. Representatives from the existing centers began meeting to discuss the new organization – its purpose, structure, etc. The basic need for the organization was the have a legal entity that could license the name “Family Outreach” and thus, control the use of the name. According to federal trademark law, that control must be exercised by making sure that each group using the name operates in accordance with a set of Minimum Standards which were written by the Board. In 1982, Family Outreach of America, Inc. was incorporated. There are now 13 centers that operate in Texas with additional centers planned.
