Early Catholic Family Life Program, 0-2
Primary: Am I safe, comfortable, and loved? Ages 0-5
Secondary: Is being with God and His people a safe and happy experience? Ages 0-5
What is real faith and why do I need a Church? Ages 19-35
How should I live my values? Ages 19-35
How do I love in different seasons of life? Ages 35-50
How do I find new ways to give of my time, love and resources? Ages 50-70
Description:
From the Early Catholic Family Life website (https://www.earlycatholicfamilylife.org/):
“Early Catholic Family Life (ECFL) is a program [made of eight two-hour sessions] designed to draw parents and their children into faith community. We welcome young families and empower them to raise their children confidently with Jesus. We do this by connecting parents with their peers and helping them to learn the best practices in early childhood faith development. We believe that parents are a child’s first and most important teachers.”
“During the first hour of each session, parents and children interact in Faith-based activities. This play-together time ends with a teacher-lead circle. During the second hour of the session the children and the parents separate. The parents take part in the Parent Discussion Time while their children continue on in the early childhood classroom with a trained adult volunteer leader and assistants in The Child Play Together Time.”
For program overview and testimonial video, visit ECFL’s home page.
For program history, visit ECFL’s history page.
For program samples and step-by-step directions for implementation, visit ECFL’s getting started page.
Previous successes:
Program locations:
- Medium to large parishes in urban areas, for example, the Archdiocese of Toronto trains 4-5 parishes per year
- Small parishes in rural areas, for example, St. Ann, St. John, and St. Joseph in Wadena, MN
- Diocesan endorsement from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Anecdotal measures of success:
- Adult participants increase activity in the parish
- Whole families begin traditions and friendships, including links to the parish, that form a family culture
- Participants are more likely to ask others to come to Mass, a Church event, or to join their school
Investment:
- One-day training is required. Options are available for in-person or online delivery
- Children’s activity materials (one-time investment)
- Program consists of eight, 2-hour sessions
To learn more, contact program director JoAnn Foley at (612) 925-1203.