Lincoln Parents Center

About our Program

Since 1997, Lincoln Parents’ Center (LPC) has provided year-round early education and support to families in Lincoln and the surrounding communities in Logan County, IL. LPC was established to support parents of very young children, knowing parents are the first and most influential teachers of their children.

Research has shown in their first few years, children learn more and at a much faster pace than at any other time in life. Because these crucial early years lay the foundation for children’s success in school and life, it is important parents have access to information on child development, an opportunity to connect with other parents, and resources to help sustain their family.

Families engaged in program services can expect Family Support Specialists to recognize them as the experts on their own child as well as be engaged using relationship-based strategies and an approach that creates a strength-based collaborative space guided by the priorities, interests and hopes of the family.

What We Provide:

Personal Visits

Family Support Specialists coming alongside families through home visiting provides an unparalleled opportunity to engage families. Baby TALK home visits/personal encounters focus on these goals:
• Connect: To establish and deepen relationships with families by joining their system of care
• Engage: To scaffold the child’s development through shared observation of the family-child relationship
• Strengthen: By collaborating with families around their goals for their family and children
• Reflect: To support families’ on-going mastery in their overall growth and development

Professionals use Baby TALK’s Family Engagement Protocols leading them to use their time with families in a way that meets the family’s agenda, not their own.

Family Activites & Support

Family-child groups give parents an opportunity to connect with their child and meet other families in the community. Parents learn from and support each other, observe their children interacting with other children, and practice parenting skills.

Play and Learn: LPC provides a playgroup for families enrolled in the program. Play and Learn is scheduled twice a month for children up to the age of three years old. Free play, art, circle time – songs & stories, and a snack are offered during Play and Learn.

Family Nights: Family nights are planned three times a year for the whole family to enjoy time together! Each is planned to include a meal and family activity. In the past, events have included: a pizza night, an ice cream social, a Thanksgiving dinner, and an outdoor fun night at the park.

Baby Bees: LPC, in collaboration with the Lincoln Library Youth Services Department hosts a slower-paced baby lap sit program for families with infants and toddlers twice a month. During this time, parents and their children engage together in music time, story time, and movement time.

Community Circle Time: Once a month, LPC invites all families in the community to join in circle time which includes songs, stories, and parenting support. The group is scheduled at different locations in the community, such as Guest House Coffee Shop.

Developmental Screenings

When screening and monitoring a child’s overall development, parents/caregiver input is especially important. Developmental screenings provide a quick check of development, it can be thought of as a snapshot of a child’s motor, cognitive, language, and social-emotional skills. The results will show a child’s strengths and highlight any area in which they may need more help or practice. If additional practice is needed, we have activities and resources available to support children and their families.

Connections to Local Agencies

Family Support Specialists work closely with various local agencies to ensure families get the services they need beyond the scope of Lincoln Parents’ Center. Lincoln Parents’ Center uses a mutual referral system with various local agencies to help families access community services. View the resources below!

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We are a Baby TALK Program!