The Center consists of twelve rooms and an outdoor visiting area. There are two private visiting rooms, classroom, group rooms, a family library, offices and a changing room.

The following services are offered at FCC-LRF:

• FCC Parenting Classes – This is an eighteen-hour parenting class that must be completed before participation in all other FCC activities.

• Support Groups – These groups offer incarcerated fathers an opportunity to share and learn from each other. These are offered five times a week. Participants must attend one a week to continue participating at the FCC.

• Books-on-Videotape – Incarcerated fathers can sign up to attend a Literacy Seminar and then record 2-3 books on videotape. The tape and the new books are sent home to their children. This program facilitated through a collaboration with NH Public Televison.

• Books-on-Audiotape – Incarcerated fathers can record stories and songs on audiotapes up to three times per year per child to be sent home with 2 brand new books and a new book bag. This way, the incarcerated father can read stories to his children every night before bed. The hope is that this will help encourage literacy as the child follows along with the book as dad is reading to him or her. This also gives the child the power to hear dad’s voice when they are missing him.

• Program Visits – FCC participants can apply for visitation in FCC to be alone with their child(ren) while monitored through one-way mirrors by FCC Staff. These visits allow the incarcerated father to spend one to one time interacting with their child. Some fathers are taught to change diapers at FCC. At most, visits are scheduled every other week for an hour and a half and every week for children under the age of eight-months.

• Family Reentry Planning – Family counseling between the incarcerated father and their child’s caregiver. Children may be included depending upon what the therapist determines. The goal is to plan for the incarcerated parents return to the community and what his role will be with the family.

• Seminars – Various life skills seminars are offered throughout the year. Volunteer presenters are from UNH Cooperative Extension, Plymouth State College, Child Support Services and NH Public Television to name a few. Some of the offerings are:  When Your Income Drops, When Parenting Styles Differ, Ages and Stages of Child Development, Moral Development, Conflict Resolution and a Literacy Seminar, Money Management, Nutrition

• Library – We have an extensive family library filled with books on many topics. These books are used during the program visits and to record on the books on audiotape.

• Monthly Newsletter – This newsletter is available to all the incarcerated fathers and their children’s caregiver. The newsletter highlights upcoming FCC events, offers parenting support and advice and lets families know what is happening in NH communities.

• Parenting from the Inside Out - This new program is a collaboration between the Family Connections Center, the Belknap County Citizens Council on Children and Families and various Belknap County agencies serving youth and families. This program offers parents and youth at risk in the community an opportunity to meet with incarcerated fathers to discuss and share the challenges and strengths of parenting in today’s world.

• All of the same services as above are offered except for Parenting from the Inside Out.

Contact Information