East Boston Family
Engagement Network
East Boston Family Engagement Network is one of the four founding members of Boston Family Engagement Network (BFEN), nine community-based organizations across Boston. They provide family support services and coordinate families’ access to programs that promote children’s healthy development and family wellbeing."
The East Boston Family Engagement Network (EBFEN) has 16 Parent Partners who speak six languages from Algeria, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Morocco, Thailand, and the United States. You will see Parent Partners in the community connecting families who are not already connected to resources at events such as Resource Fairs, the East Boston Farmers Market and the East Boston Social Centers Community Baby Shower.
Parent Partners receive training on topics including family strengthening, how to conduct Ages & Stages Questionnaires (a child development screening), The Basics Principles, and more.
Since joining EBFEN, many of the Parent Partners apply their acquired skills to full-time positions in the school system, early education field, and human services.
Parent-led
Parent Partners meet twice a month to plan, facilitate, and reflect on how community outreach and activities are going. Meetings also include training opportunities, introduction to partner organizations and leadership opportunities.
Multicultural
We believe diversity in East Boston makes our community a better place to live — and so do our Parent Partners. We currently have 11 Parent Partners and are proud to have the largest and most diverse group of Parent Partners in the city. Our Parent Partners bring perspectives from around the world to East Boston, with backgrounds in Mexico, Brazil, Columbia, Peru, El Salvador, Morocco, Malaysia, Vietnam, France and Algeria. They are a wonderful group who work collaboratively and have built strong relationships with each other. They embrace each other’s cultures and beliefs, and love to share and learn from each other
Parent Partners planned and organized a family day trip to George's Island complete with a complimentary ticket and lunch for all 125 folks who joined!
Parent Partners are always ready to lend a helping hand at Social Centers' events including the East Boston Early Educator Provider Dinner which brought together center-based and family-childcare educators and Directors for the first time since COVID in May 2024.
Parent Partners lend their expertise and foster a sense of belonging at the Annual Every Child Shines Community Convening.
Parent Partners ran games and connected families with resources at EBSC's Community Baby Shower in October 2024.
Parent Partners shared resources such as The Basics Principles, Welcome Baby visits, and Ages and Stages developmental Questionnaires with families at Mutual Aid Eastie's Resource Fair in August 2024.
Parent Partner and Board member, Assia does arts and crafts with children and their families at a Resource Fair this past summer.
Contact Us
Interested in learning more about the Family Engagement Network? Contact us through the form or reach out to Gloria Devine, Director of EBFEN.
Parent Partner
“I think we've got a really great team. I think it is such a strong network because we are all residents here and we understand what our community needs. So, we can easily reach out to people who is out of network, who does not have any other services so now they know where they can find something. ”
Parent Partner
“Something that I like is that this team works together. Nobody is doing separate. We work together to help others…this is a very collaborative group that works together all with a common goal. And that's awesome. It definitely shines through, and I can tell that immediately.”
Welcome Baby Visits
Welcome Baby Visits provide a celebratory home visit to families with newborns up to 9 months old in East Boston. Welcome Baby visitors arrive with a beautiful gift bag filled with baby essentials such as diapers and wipes, onesies, socks, bibs, a beautiful hand crocheted blanket (made by East Boston senior residents) and books for baby, siblings, and parents. Welcome Baby visitors share information about activities, resources, and services in the community. This is an opportunity for the East Boston Family Engagement Network staff to promote many more resources available to new parents.
Run by our Parent Partners
Our Parent Partners are the leaders who make the East Boston Family Engagement Network stronger every day. They produce and distribute a monthly calendar of family friendly activities in East Boston, and they facilitate Welcome Baby Visits, Ages & Stages Screenings for children up to 5 years old, Baby Play Group, as well as Multicultural Days, Book Swaps and assist in the yearly Kindergarten Parade! Our Parent Partners are volunteers, who receive a small stipend for their participation.
