Whether you’re navigating the early days of a newborn, managing postpartum anxiety, or looking for ways to connect with your child, Families Matter is your soft place to land. We provide the tools and community you need to feel confident again.
Find Your Program
Infant Massage is a gentle, hands-on program for parents and non-crawling babies aged 6 weeks to 8 months. You will learn safe, nurturing touch techniques to support your baby’s development, improve relaxation and sleep, and respond to distress. The class also builds confidence through guided practice in a calm, supportive, and welcoming environment.<br /> <br /> Дитячий масаж - це ніжна практична програма для батьків і немовлят. Ви навчитеся безпечним технікам ніжного дотику, що сприяють розвитку малюка, покращують його розслаблення та сон, а також допомагають заспокоїти дитину, коли вона засмучена. Заняття також допоможуть вам почуватися впевненіше завдяки практичному навчанню в спокійній, доброзичливій та підтримуючій атмосфері.
It’s time to get messy! This fun, hands-on program invites children aged 12 months - 18 months and their caregivers to explore all five senses—sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste through playful, sensory-based activities. Together, you’ll experiment with a variety of materials, try simple do-it-yourself recipes, and discover how sensory play supports your child’s development, creativity, and curiosity in a safe and engaging environment.
This professional development opportunity is for participants who are currently working with, or wish to work with, parents in educational and group settings. It focuses on creating effective learning environments, understanding the roles and responsibilities of parent educators, and developing engagement skills through hands-on practice, within a supportive and collaborative learning space.
LENA Start is a supportive group for parents and caregivers of children aged 2–32 months that focuses on building connection and communication through everyday interactions. You will explore simple, practical ways to increase talking and back-and-forth moments during daily routines like mealtime, play, and outings, supporting early brain development and learning. Families also receive children’s books and personalized feedback to support continued growth at home.
Caring Connections is a supportive group for moms focused on strengthening child-centred parenting and building safe, healthy relationships. Through guided discussion, participants explore stress, relationship patterns, and past experiences while learning practical ways to build connection, create safety, and care for themselves in a welcoming, non-judgmental space.
Circle of Security is a relationship-based parenting program that helps caregivers better understand and respond to their child’s emotional needs. Through guided reflection and discussion, parents learn to recognize their child’s cues, support their child’s sense of safety and security, and strengthen connection in everyday moments. The group also explores how our own experiences can shape our responses as parents, and offers practical ways to build confidence in supporting children’s emotions and relationships.
Circle of Security is a relationship-based parenting program that helps caregivers better understand and respond to their child’s emotional needs. Through guided reflection and discussion, parents learn to recognize their child’s cues, support their child’s sense of safety and security, and strengthen connection in everyday moments. The group also explores how our own experiences can shape our responses as parents, and offers practical ways to build confidence in supporting children’s emotions and relationships.
Baby Drop-In is a welcoming space for parents with babies aged 0–12 months to connect, ask questions, and learn together. In guided, relaxed conversations, parents explore sleep, feeding, development, and early parenting experiences while building community, sharing support, and learning about developmental stages in a playful, supportive environment.
This dedicated space at our Family Development Centre welcomes Cantonese families and caregivers to engage in child-led, unstructured play with their young children aged 0-6 years. It offers meaningful opportunities for social connection, community building, and shared play experiences that support early development in a supportive, culturally inclusive environment.
Calling all dads and male caregivers! This drop-in group for children aged 0–5 offers a relaxed, welcoming space to connect through play, songs, and movement. Run by dads for dads, it also creates space to talk about child development, play, discipline, emotions, and self-care, while building connection and community.
Rainbow Families is a welcoming, drop-in space for 2SLGBTQ+ (Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) families with children 0–6years to connect, play, and build community. Children and caregivers explore, imagine, and create through unstructured, child-led play in a safe, inclusive environment. No registration needed—just come as you are and feel belonging.
Calling all dads and male caregivers! This drop-in group for children aged 0–5 offers a relaxed, welcoming space to connect through play, songs, and movement. Run by dads for dads, it also creates space to talk about child development, play, discipline, emotions, and self-care, while building connection and community.
Being a parent is the hardest job. It's about teaching our children not to need us eventually. and the hardest part of this job is to accept our success. This class helped me achieve my goals for my child and me quicker and more effectively.
– Be A Great Dad Program Participant
During a difficult separation, one father came to Families Matter wanting to reconnect with his children but unsure where to start.
Through our parenting programs and one-on-one support, he found new ways to communicate, stay calm during difficult moments, and show up more confidently as a parent. Over time, his relationship with his children became stronger, closer, and more connected.
At Families Matter, we help you navigate the transitions of parenthood with confidence. Whether you are managing postpartum anxiety, seeking ways to bond with your toddler, or looking for a mentor who understands the journey of fatherhood, we provide the professional tools and community connection you need to build a strong family life.
Learn MoreTake a look back at how Families Matter, with the incredible support of our volunteers and donors, has helped Calgary families build stronger, more resilient homes over the years.
Our Annual Reports
Give your time, make a real impact, and help families across Calgary thrive. See our volunteer opportunities today!
Become a VolunteerToday in the spirit of truth, respect and reciprocity, we at Families Matter honour and recognize the land that we gather on as Moh-kinsstis, the traditional unceded territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy. We acknowledge the Indigenous People whose footsteps have marked these lands for centuries including the Siksika, Piikani, Kainai, Tsuut’ina, and the îthka Nakoda Nations including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney. The City of Calgary is also home to the Otipemisiwak Métis Government (Districts 5 and 6). We are grateful to live, work and play on this land that continues to be home to Indigenous families, culture, stories and traditions. We recognize that we are all treaty people and all have a role as caretakers of this land.
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