Our Mission
To provide free postpartum and early parenting support to families with babies and young children living in Western Massachusetts, and to inspire the community to welcome the newest members of their Village.
In the proverbial Village, all community members work together to take care of young children through shared time, resources, and responsibility.
Today’s Village is made up of the people in a community, the systems and services available to families, and the actions that community members take to support the health, wellbeing, and prosperity of individuals in that community.
Where does this phrase come from?
“It Takes A Village To Determine The Origins Of An African Proverb,” by Joel Goldberg
Our Vision
Families are connected, strong and resilient, easily engaging with their community, knowing the Village is there for them.
We believe . . .
- Families are resilient and communities are stronger when everyone works together to welcome the newest members of their Village.
- Assisting families make connections to the community eases social and geographic isolation.
- Families with babies and young children benefit from a support system that can provide practical and emotional support and essential resources.
- Our guiding principle is to increase each family’s connection to community, assist them in finding and building their own support systems and improve access to resources.
- We provide all our programs with the utmost integrity and respect, inclusive of all families.
Our Values
CONNECTION SUPPORT COMMUNITY RESOURCES RESILIENCE INCLUSIVITY INTEGRITY
It Takes a Village would like to share how we have been discussing both the current climate of protests, police violence, and the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as this country’s long history of racism and oppression against our Black and Brown neighbors. As a human service agency, we have a responsibility to address institutional barriers in our society and actively work to combat racism and inequality. This work requires acknowledging and understanding our own blind spots when it comes to systemic and structural racism and privilege. It is imperative that our volunteers, staff, and leadership are educated about how our Black and Brown families move through the world, their unique struggles, and how our words and actions, intentional or not, affect their health and safety. We commit to being good allies and to ensure that EVERY family that wants support can access it, and that EVERY family feels welcome in their Village. We vow to do better, to be not only inclusive, but actively anti-racist. We are grateful for the resources available to us to educate ourselves, as well as for all members of the community who are willing to join us in honest conversations.
Additionally, we believe that when a family calls for help, they deserve to have someone qualified respond to them, whether that first responder is a medical professional, a social worker, a recovery coach, a mental health provider, a peer, or one of a myriad of other specialties. We support programs and policies that invest in mental-health care and housing, expand the use of community mediation and violence interruption, and work on preventing poverty and addiction instead of criminalizing them. We believe that families are resilient and communities are stronger when everyone works together to welcome the newest members of their Village, and we pledge to work even harder.
Families never pay for any of It Takes a Village’s programs.
Your support will keep these services available to everyone.
