Nurture The Future

All Programs & Services

Nurture The Future

Nurture the Future–a program of The Guidance Center–provides free resources and preventative education in the Downriver area to develop strong families and inspire and assist parents as they raise children. Through this program, parents and caregivers of children from birth through young adulthood have access to a variety of resources including workshops, support groups, family-centered activities, and informational resources.

In October 2018 a grant established Nurture the Future to provide early childhood workshops for parents on a variety of topics delivered by early childhood development professionals. In 2021, the program was expanded to include programs and support for parents of school age children, teens, and young adults.

We offer these workshops and events at various locations throughout the community including The Guidance Center’s main campus in Southgate, local libraries, schools, churches, and parks.

Parenting Education Workshops

– Love & Logic Parenting Education – 5 Week Series
– Internet Safety & Screentime
– Understanding Sensory Processing
– Mastering Stress – How to Handle Stress So It Doesn’t Handle You
– How to Understand and Support your Child’s Challenging Behaviors
– Social & Emotional Development in Young Children
– Navigating Parenting During the Teen Years
– Gun Safety Workshop for Parents of Young Children
– Middle School Youth and Mental Health
– Parenting Teens Book Club

Parent and Child Education Workshops

– Sweet Dreamzzz: Bedtime Routine for Young Children
– Family Grief Workshop in partnership with Henry Ford SandCastles
– Parent/Adolescent Book Club: “The Amazing Generation”
– Parent/Toddler Yoga

Family Events

– Art in the Park in partnership with the Taylor Community Library
– Nature Quest in partnership with the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge
– Annual father/child event
– Family Yoga “In the Park”

Support Groups

– Parent/Caregiver Pride Alliance Group for Parents of LGBTQ+ Youth – Meets monthly (in partnership with Pride in Downriver)
– Teen Pride Alliance Group for Teens 14+ – Meets bi-weekly (in partnership with Pride in Downriver)
– “Out in Nature”: Quarterly LGBTQ+ hike to connect with nature (in partnership with the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge)

If you are interested in a presentation for your school or community group, please contact Karen Hoffman-Herin at khoffman-herin@iamtgc.net. If you are interested in a topic not listed, just ask us and we will do our best to accommodate your needs!

Feedback from Parents

“Great event. Look forward to attending upcoming events.”
-Parent Attendee – Art in the Park

“Thank you for this FREE event. It is awesome.”
-Parent Attendee – Wildlife Refuge event

“You guys are amazing. Full of information and we need more programs like this.”
-Parenting Class Attendee

“Makes me think about my choices as a mother of two. Raising them alone is not easy and takes a toll of me. This class is so amazing and I’ve learned so much!”
-Parenting Class Attendee

“Thank you for providing the tools needed to be the best parent and person I can be. The best thing to me about this program is it is not just for children. You can use all these techniques with any relationship.”
-Parenting Class Attendee

Newsletter & Community Calendar

Nurture the Future is also committed to supporting families through a monthly e-newsletter and emailed calendar of events. Each Family Connection issue provides up-to-date information on a wide range of timely parenting topics including child development, mental health and well-being, communication strategies and navigating current challenges affecting families.

If you or your family is interested in signing up for our Family Connection e-newsletter and monthly community events calendar, please click here.