Atlantic Street Center is pleased to support two Family Centers: the NewHolly Youth & Family Center, and the Rainier Beach Family Center. Both centers offer opportunities for education, support, friendship, and access to critical resources for children and families of all configurations who live in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Our two family centers provide a multitude of free classes and services that help nurture, develop and celebrate family life. Activities include parent education classes, instruction for students learning English, preparation for the US citizenship exam, life skills classes, parent support groups for parents of all ages, physical fitness activities, and cultural events and celebrations.

Each family center also offers a family support worker who counsels and aids families with challenges they may be facing. Families are encouraged to help with planning services so that the activities offered can best meet participants' needs.

Both of Atlantic Street Center's family centers are founded on the Principles of Family Support Practice developed by Family Support America. Those principles are:

• Staff and families work together in relationships based on equality and respect.
• Staff enhance families' capacity to support the growth and development of all family members - adults, youth & children.
• Families are resources to their own members, to other families, to programs and to communities.
• Programs affirm and strengthen families' cultural, racial, and linguistic identities and enhance their ability to function in a multicultural society.
• Programs are embedded in their communities and contribute to the community-building process.
• Programs advocate with families for services and systems that are fair, responsive, and accountable to the families served.
• Practitioners work with families to mobilize formal and informal resources to support family development.
• Programs are flexible and continually responsive to emerging family and community issues.
• Principles of family support are modeled in all program activities, including planning, governance, and administration.