EDUCATION & PREVENTION

Family Support Services' Education and Prevention Department provides educational programs, prevention services, family support, presentations, and specialized training for children, youth, parents, caregivers, professionals, and community members throughout the Texas Panhandle.

Our programs are designed to strengthen individuals and families, build protective factors, promote healthy relationships, develop leadership skills, and prevent violence and other harmful behaviors before they occur.

Presentations and educational programs can be tailored to meet the needs of each audience, taking into consideration age, group size, topic, setting, and time available.

YOUTH EDUCATION AND PREVENTION

Our youth programs create safe, supportive opportunities for young people to build confidence, strengthen relationships, develop leadership skills, and learn healthy ways to navigate challenges.

Programs include:

Youth Advisory Council (YAC)
A youth-led leadership and prevention group that gives teens an opportunity to use their voices, develop leadership skills, and make a positive impact in their schools and communities.

Girls Circle
A structured mentoring and support group that provides girls with a safe environment to build healthy relationships, strengthen self-esteem, develop resilience, and discuss issues affecting their lives.

Peer Mediation
A youth leadership program that equips students with communication, active listening, problem-solving, and conflict-resolution skills. Trained peer mediators learn how to help other students work through appropriate conflicts in a structured and respectful environment.

Sounds of Success
A creative youth development program that introduces young people to music production, including beat-making, songwriting, recording, and mixing. Students also build confidence, leadership skills, teamwork, and positive self-expression.

Youth Education Groups
School and community-based groups provide age-appropriate education and discussion around topics that impact young people and their relationships.

PRESENTATIONS AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION

Education and Prevention staff provide presentations and specialized training for schools, youth-serving organizations, businesses, faith communities, social service organizations, and other community groups.

Topics may include:

  • Healthy relationships and boundaries

  • Teen dating violence prevention

  • Bullying and healthy conflict

  • Communication and conflict resolution

  • Leadership and self-esteem

  • Mental health and suicide prevention awareness

  • Substance use prevention

  • Healthy coping skills

  • Social media and digital safety

  • Human trafficking prevention and awareness

  • Domestic violence and sexual violence prevention

  • Protective factors and family strengthening

Presentations can be customized based on the needs and age of the audience.

PARENT AND FAMILY EDUCATION

Family Support Services recognizes that strong families are built through connection, support, education, and access to resources. Our parent and family programs provide opportunities for caregivers to learn, connect with others, strengthen relationships, and develop practical skills they can use at home.

TEXAS THRIVING FAMILIES

Texas Thriving Families (TTF) provides support, education, and resources for pregnant women, new parents and families with children under age three.

Through Family Support Services, eligible families can receive individualized support designed to strengthen family stability, promote healthy child development, and connect parents and caregivers with resources during the critical early years of a child's life.

Services may include:

  • Parenting and child development education

  • Life skills education

  • Financial literacy and employment readiness education

  • Material assistance for eligible families

  • Care coordination and individualized support

  • Counseling and emotional wellness resources

  • Housing and community resource referrals

  • Connections to healthcare and other supportive services

  • Pregnancy and early childhood education

  • Parent Cafés and opportunities to build social connections

Our goal is to help families access the knowledge, resources, and support they need to build healthy and thriving futures for themselves and their children.

Parent Cafés

Parent Cafés are welcoming, guided conversations that bring parents and caregivers together to connect, share experiences, and learn from one another.

Cafés are built around the Five Protective Factors that help strengthen families:

  • Parental resilience

  • Social connections

  • Knowledge of parenting and child development

  • Concrete support in times of need

  • Social and emotional competence of children

Parent Cafés are offered in both English and Spanish, with opportunities designed for parents and caregivers at different stages of family life.

Strengthening Families Program

The Strengthening Families Program brings parents, caregivers, and children together to develop skills that support healthy family relationships. Families learn strategies for communication, parenting, problem-solving, emotional regulation, and building stronger connections at home.

Love and Logic

Love and Logic provides parents and caregivers with practical tools for raising responsible children while maintaining healthy, supportive relationships. The program focuses on setting appropriate limits, encouraging responsibility, reducing power struggles, and responding to challenging behavior with empathy and consistency.

Mothers and Babies

Mothers and Babies is an evidence-informed program designed to support pregnant women and new parents by strengthening coping skills, increasing social support, and promoting emotional well-being during pregnancy and early parenthood.

SUBSTANCE USE PREVENTION

Family Support Services provides prevention education designed to reduce youth substance use and strengthen the protective factors that help young people make healthy decisions.

Prevention strategies may include educational groups and presentations, positive alternative activities, youth leadership and mentoring opportunities, community education, referrals, and information dissemination.

Rather than focusing only on the consequences of substance use, our prevention approach helps young people develop the skills, relationships, confidence, and support systems that contribute to long-term well-being.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION

Human trafficking involves the exploitation of individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for labor or commercial sex. Children involved in commercial sex are considered victims of trafficking regardless of whether force, fraud, or coercion is present.

Family Support Services provides prevention education and community awareness designed to help youth, families, professionals, and community members better understand human trafficking, recognize potential warning signs and vulnerabilities, and know how to respond when they are concerned about someone.

BRING PREVENTION EDUCATION TO YOUR SCHOOL OR ORGANIZATION

Family Support Services partners with schools, community organizations, businesses, faith communities, and other groups throughout the Texas Panhandle to provide prevention education and family programming.

Whether you are looking for a one-time presentation, an ongoing youth group, parent education, professional training, or a community partnership, our team can work with you to identify programming that meets the needs of your audience.

Contact Monica Balderas at 806-342-2536 to learn more about Education and Prevention programs or to request a presentation or program.