Franklin County Family and Children First Council

06/04/2026

Spending quality time together as a family doesn’t have to be expensive. As summer begins, we wanted to share a few free and low-cost events happening around Columbus this June that families can enjoy together
🎶 PBJ & Jazz at Topiary Park
June 13
Enjoy a free family-friendly jazz concert, dancing and even PB&J sandwiches for the kids!
https://columbusjazz.org/about/series-and-events/pbj-jazz/
🌿 Franklin Park Conservatory Community Day
June 7
Free admission for Franklin County and Columbus residents. Explore beautiful gardens, exhibits and hands-on activities for all ages.
https://www.fpconservatory.org/events/june-community-day/
🎵 Central Ohio Folk Festival
June 6–7
A low-cost, family-friendly festival with live music, crafts, workshops, and kids’ activities. Children under 18 attend free!
https://www.columbusfolkmusicsociety.org/festival
❤️ Juneteenth on the Ave
June 20
Celebrate freedom, culture, and community with live entertainment, food, art and family fun in Bronzeville.
https://www.juneteenthontheave.com/
🌳 Columbus & Franklin County Metro Parks Programs
Free nature programs, story times, hikes and family activities all month long!
https://www.metroparks.net/
We hope these events help your family make fun memories together!

06/02/2026

☀️Ohio is now accepting applications for Sun Bucks - a grocery benefit program that provides $120 for each eligible school-aged child during the summer. But wait! Most eligible children will be automatically enrolled.

Find our if your child is eligible or apply at: https://sebt.ohio.gov



Image description: Graphic promoting the Sun Bucks program featuring a photo of a father and son chopping vegetables and the Sun Bucks logo. Text says, "Now is the time to apply for Sun Bucks! Learn more at sebt.ohio.gov."

06/02/2026

FREE SUMMER MEALS are coming back to the library 🍽️🌟

Starting Monday, June 1, kids and teens can get free meals at select library locations thanks to Children's Hunger Alliance. Some branches will also offer breakfast or dinner options.

Meals will be available until school is back in session.

👉 See meal times in the comments, and come grab a plate!

06/01/2026

05/29/2026

Perseverance doesn't always look the way we expect. 💙

It rarely looks like a big breakthrough moment. It usually looks much quieter than that — and it can be easy to miss if you don't know what you're looking for.

🌱looks like staying in a hard conversation.
🌱Asking for help when you expected to be let down.
🌱Showing up when your body said don't.
🌱 You recognized a trigger and caught yourself before reacting the way you used to
🌱Recovering a little faster than last time.
🌱Trying again.

That is your nervous system healing. That is your brain building new pathways. That is perseverance and it counts.

If any of this sounds like you, you are growing. 💙

05/25/2026

In honor of Memorial Day, Franklin Co. FCFC will be closed on Monday, May 26th. We will reopen Tuesday, May 27th during normal business hours. Wishing our community a meaningful and safe holiday weekend. ❤️

05/21/2026

The shift from structured school days to summer schedules can be challenging for children who thrive on consistency and for the caregivers supporting them. As we head into summer break, we want families to know It’s okay if summer feels overwhelming sometimes.

Whether your family is planning activities, navigating childcare or simply trying to make it through the day, Franklin County FCFC recognizes the hard work and resilience it can take to make it through summer break.

A few gentle tips for families this summer:
☀️ Keep simple daily routines when possible
☀️ Build in sensory breaks and downtime
☀️ Celebrate small wins
☀️ Reach out to community supports when needed
☀️ Make space for joy, however that looks for your family

Wishing all of our families a safe and supported summer break. 💛

05/20/2026

💚 May is Mental Health Awareness Month — and there's no better time to check in on yourself and the people you love.

This year's theme of More Good Days, Together encourages us all to reflect on what a “good” day looks like, both for ourselves, and for our communities.

Together, we can use that insight to connect people to the right support at the right time, and shape advocacy, education, and community engagement to make more good days possible for all.

Mental Health America (MHA). - https://mhanational.org/mental-health-month/

If you or someone you know in Franklin County is looking for local mental health resources, 📌 A free resource magnet is available at:

👉franklinfamilyfirst.org/caregiversupportgroup

🌿 This month — and every month — let's break the stigma. Share this post. Start the conversation. Reach out.
You matter. Help is here. 💚

05/19/2026

Join Us!!!!

Franklinfamilyfirst.org/upcomingevents

05/15/2026

Perseverance, through a brain-based, trauma-informed lens, is not willpower or toughness. It is the gradual, courageous process of a healing nervous system choosing to move forward — even when the brain has learned, through painful experience, that moving forward isn't safe.

Perseverance, then, is not the absence of struggle. It is what happens when:

🧠The nervous system finds enough safety — through consistent relationships, environments, and experiences — to begin lowering its guard

🧠The brain, supported by co-regulation and connection with others, starts to distinguish between past danger and present possibility

🧠A person takes one small step — not because everything feels okay, but because they have enough support to tolerate the discomfort of trying

🧠New neural pathways form through repeated experiences of "I tried, and I survived" — slowly replacing the older message of "it's not safe to try"

🧠Someone begins to understand their own story and recognize that their responses make sense, which restores a sense of agency and self-trust

Perseverance isn't about ignoring how hard things are. It's about understanding why it's hard — and choosing to grow anyway.