Play Group Registration Starts Today at 10:00!

Just a reminder for all our play group families out there, sign up for the Play n' Learn Play groups starts today at 10:00 am.

Please call FRC to pre-register your child for Play ‘N Learn. Indicate your first and second choices when registering. Classes will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. You will be notified of which group your child is in two weeks prior to the start date of the group.

Session I: February 22 — April 7

Tuesdays | 9:00-10:30 a.m. (18 mo-5 yr)
Tuesdays | 3:00-4:30 p.m.(18 mo-5 yr)
Wednesdays | 9:00-10:15 a.m.(18 mo-5 yr)
Wednesdays | 10:30-11:30 a.m.(18 mo-5 yr)
Thursdays | 10:00-11:00 a.m. (6-24 mo)

Parenting Today Segment | January 27, 2011

If you missed Brook on WEAU's Parenting Today last week, you can view the two part segment by clicking on the photo above.

Hahn's Market Visit

We got a surprise visit from Hahn's Market last week! Shannon stopped by to tell us about their new selection of organic foods and left us some yummy organic treats for our kids to test out!

Thanks for the goodies Shannon!

FRC’s Newest Addition

Please welcome Amanda Shilts as our newest parent educator. Amanda has a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Studies from UW Stout and is enrolled in the Master's of Social Work program at UWEC. Amanda will be teaching parent education classes and providing home visiting services. We are happy to welcome Amanda to the FRC team!

New Class Schedule is Up!

We asked for your input on what kind of classes you would like to see us offer and we were overwhelmed with awesome ideas! We are excited to highlight a few of our new classes below. We also have a sneak peek of our classes that will be offered in March, April & May. Check out the Sign Up for Classes tab up above.

Some of our new classes include:

• The Family Pet with Children | Taught by Karen Rudd Douglas of Rude Dog U

• The Secrets Behind Coupons | This class will be taught by our very own Fund Development Coordinator, Emily Duss. Emily considers herself a "coupon nerd" but that's OK with her because she's saved over $335 in January alone by using coupons! That's a lot of cash!

• Budget Organizing | Jen, the amazing brains behind IHeart Organizing, will be gracing the FRC with her organizing expertise! Save up those empty soup and frosting cans and join a class focused on organizing on a budget! The class will offer a variety of tips and tricks that can be easily implemented in many areas of the home, to ultimately simplify and streamline day to day routines.  Please bring in an empty soup can and a piece of decorative craft paper, and you will leave with something you can put to use in your own space. Her class isn't on the sign up page just yet but we promise to let you know as soon as it goes up. This class will be limited to 10 people and you're not going to want to miss it! I have a feeling they are going to fill up in a hurry because she's that awesome!

Be sure to check out our full class descriptions in our upcoming newsletter! If you have any questions, contact us at frcec@frcec.org

Don't forget...Play Group Registration

Just a reminder for all our play group families out there, sign up for the Play n' Learn Play groups starts on Monday, January 31 at 10:00 a.m. 

Session I: February 22 — April 7

Tuesdays | 9:00-10:30 a.m. (18 mo-5 yr)
Tuesdays | 3:00-4:30 p.m.(18 mo-5 yr)
Wednesdays | 9:00-10:15 a.m.(18 mo-5 yr)
Wednesdays | 10:30-11:30 a.m.(18 mo-5 yr)
Thursdays | 10:00-11:00 a.m. (6-24 mo)

This is the only program that you cannot register for online. Please call our office at 10:00 a.m.on Monday morning  to register 715.833.1735.

Young Athletes Play & Learn Play Group

Edited to Add: The Young Athlete Program will be held on Thursdays from 4:45-5:30 pm at the YMCA in Eau Claire. Dates include: February 24, March 3, 10, 17 & 31, April 7, 14 & 21

In conjunction with the Special Olympics Wisconsin Young Athletes, the Eau Claire YMCA and the Eau Claire Area School District, the Family Resource Center is proud to sponsor the Young Athletes Play and Learn Group!

The Young Athlete Program is a sports play program for children ages 2-7 of ALL abilities. We will have fun with walking & running, balance & jumping, trapping & catching, throwing, striking, kicking and more!

Advanced registration is required. Register today by calling the Family Resource Center 715.833.1735 and by downloading, completing and mailing in the form below. The form must be completed prior to attendance at the play group!


5a. YAP Participant Registration Form -

MATCh Program

Do you have questions regarding mental health and your child?  Do you need advice on what is normal behavior or not?  Do you need ideas on where to go to get further assistance for your child’s mental health needs?  Our MATCh program (Mental Health Assistance for Teens and Children) can help with all of these. 

MATCh is a free and confidential  information and referral service for families in the entire Chippewa Valley.  Parents, relatives, professionals, teachers, concerned adults, and youth themselves can contact MATCh with any questions regarding mental health issues.  Call 715-552-1365 or 1-877-216-2824 or email match@frcec.org.

Watch for Brook on WEAU Thursday @ 10:00am!

FRC's Executive Director, Brook Berg, will be on WEAU Thursday at 10:00am answering your questions about Bedtime Battles.

If you are struggling with bedtime at your house and would like some advice, post a question below in our comment section, leave us a note on our Facebook page or email it to news@weau.com.

Mom's Night Out Survey

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FRCEC.org on your mobile phone!

For those of you with smartphones, we have some pretty exciting news! Now instead of visiting FRC's site in full website mode on your phone, you can view it as a mobile site! Just enter our site into your phone and you'll automatically be taken to the mobile site.

This will make it even easier to view the calendar and the what's new at the center!

So, what do you think?

Our shiny, sparkly new website has been up for a week now and we've had more hits in the last 8 days than we usually get in a month! In our opinion, that's pretty awesome! But the real question is, what do you think of the site? We would love your opinions!

Tell us what you think! Is the site easier to use? Can you find what you're looking for quickly? Do you visit us more often now?

We're open to any and all feedback, criticisms or suggestions! Just leave us a comment below!

Childcare Volunteers

Happy Tuesday!

We are looking for childcare volunteers for this Friday, January 14 from 4-9pm and Saturday, January 15 from 8-2pm during our As One class. Dinner, Breakfast & Lunch will be provided. If you or someone you know is interested and available. Please call FRC at 715-833-1735 or email Lisa frcec@frcec.org

Busy Week!

There is a ton going on at the FRC this week. Playgroups, classes, drop in and play...phew! It's going to be a busy week but we can't wait to see everyone. Be sure to check out our online calendar to stay up to date on everything!

Upcoming Classes

FRC is looking to had some new classes to our line up and we would like your input! We're kicking around the idea of a couponing class (how to save tons of money without a ton of extra work) and a class featuring tips on how to use your digital camera to take beautiful pictures of your little ones!

What do you think? Would either of those classes interest you?

Or maybe you'd like to learn more about organizing your home? We're open to ideas! Leave us a comment below or on our Facebook page and let us know what you think!

Thank you!

We are constantly overwhelmed by the generosity of the FRC families. This morning, during one of our playgroups, the Gehling, Pierce & McCauley families presented us with an item that has been on our wish list for a very long time... a new train table!

We are SO excited to get it set up and start playing! Thank you so much!

New Year...New Website!

Happy 2011! There have been a lot of changes going on behind the scenes at FRC. The biggest change is our easy to use, super functional website! A lot of hard work has gone into making our website user friendly as well as useful and pretty! So, what does this mean for you?

• Register for classes ONLINE! Visit our "Sign up for classes" tab up above, fill in your information, select all of the classes that you would like to attend and hit "register". With just a few clicks, you'll be all set! 

• Check out what classes are being held! Visit our interactive "Calendar" tab to see what's going on at FRC each day, which classes are being held, as well as a brief description of each class. 

• Learn more about the FRC Staff! Ever wonder who is behind the phone when you call? Now you can see all the smiling faces of the lovey ladies at FRC! Check out the "FRC Staff" tab. 

• Make an online donation! Did you know FRC is operated entirely on donations? Our playgroups alone cost $20,000 per year to run! Every little bit helps and now we've made it even easier for you to help support our programs by adding an online donation tab. Visit the "Donate Now | Wish List" tab for more details.

• Read our newsletter online! FRC distributes over 6,400 newsletters quarterly? You can help us save a few dollars just by signing up to receive our newsletter via email! Go to the "Newsletter" tab and enter in your name and email address.

• Easily find the Family Resource Center! Click on "Contact Us" to see a picture of our building and an interactive map! It makes finding us a breeze! 

• Join us on Facebook! We post information on our Facebook page throughout the week. Be sure to "like" FRC in order to receive updates!  And while you're there you can also make an online donation or sign up to receive our newsletter electronically!

We hope you love the new site as much as we do! We will be updating the information here on a regular basis so be sure to check back or add us to your RSS feeder!