Families of Color Seattle (FOCS)

Connecting parents to build a loving community of families of color

Families of Color Seattle- or what we call FOCS (pronounced “folks”) is a growing community of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) families focused on raising children who are healthy, loved, and justice-oriented. 

We connect families, caregivers, and children through peer-led parent groups, cultural resource sharing, and racial justice advocacy.

Since 2013, FOCS has grown from a group of BIPOC mothers in conversation about raising their children into a nonprofit building collective power through intersectional solidarity. FOCS is led by BIPOC mothers who believe parents of color deserve a loving and supportive community. We want our parent community to feel safe, heard, and confident in their parenting and their efforts to talk about and address systemic racism. Your investment helps families of color find community through: 

Peer-led Parent Groups - parent groups are the core of our programming. Our curriculum includes dialogue on racism, identity, and the tools to support raising strong and compassionate children of color. All FOCS parent groups are peer-led which means we engage FOCS parents to become leaders and supporters of new parents on their journey.

Our Family Programming helps families stay connected in real time. During the pandemic, we rapidly shifted to offer creative ways to help families stay connected and supported. In addition to virtual parent groups, we connect families with community educators, offer panel discussions with experts in various fields, and invite families to participate in awareness events and activities such as Black maternal health week. 

Our Systems Change Work encourages communities to work together to dismantle systemic racism. We offer consulting workshops to help facilitate and guide institutional change. We believe policies and systems impacting BIPOC families should center their voices. We support issues important to families of color, such as reproductive justice, health, and education equity, and expands on these issues based on FOCS community feedback and interest.

With your donations, we can continue to offer parent groups free of charge, pay BIPOC peer group facilitators to engage families and further their own personal and professional development, and contract with local professionals and consultants to share resources and knowledge with FOCS families. 

Every single donation, no matter how big or small, helps us fulfill our vision of connecting parents to build a loving community of families of color!