Families and Schools Together

What Families and Schools Together does

Families and Schools Together, Inc. is a Madison, Wisconsin-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates the FAST® Program, an internationally acclaimed, evidence-based family engagement program serving children from birth through age 18 and their families. Founded in 1999 by Dr. Lynn McDonald, who originally developed the program in 1988 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the organization delivers relationship-based interventions through trained 4-10 person FAST Teams that run weekly 2.5-hour sessions over 8-10 week cycles. The program is grounded in multiple theoretical frameworks including Family Stress Theory, Social Ecological Theory, Social Capital Theory, and Family Systems Theory, with 50+ academic studies and 6 Randomized Control Trials supporting its effectiveness. The core portfolio includes the multi-level FAST Program (Early Childhood through High School), the FAST Institute of Family Engagement for educator professional development, FASTWORKS® for ongoing parent-led support, and FAST at Home as a virtual adaptation.

The organization's business model combines multiple revenue streams: tax-deductible donations from individuals and corporations, foundation grants (notably a $100,000 Carnegie Corporation award in 2022), program implementation fees from schools and community organizations, training and certification conference fees ($1,250-$2,500 per trainer), and state/federal funding (ESEA, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families). The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, relying on school and community-based partnerships, the annual Training of Trainers conference, and word-of-mouth from parent graduates. Current CEO Dr. Nicole Lopez Purkapile (since March 2023) leads a team of fewer than 10 employees, with programs operating across 48 U.S. states and 20+ countries. The organization is incorporated in Connecticut (EIN 39-1895298) and holds registered trademarks on FAST®, FASTWORKS®, and the Families and Schools Together® brand.

Name

Families and Schools Together

Legal name

Families and Schools Together, Inc.

Website

https://familiesandschools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Families and Schools Together is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers the FAST® Program, an evidence-based family engagement intervention serving children ages 0-18 and their families through school and community partnerships across 48 U.S. states and 20+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family and Social Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Engagement & Home–School Partnership Programs (EDACALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parenting Education (Family Literacy, Parenting Skills) (EDAAAFAF), Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Parent Mental Health, Stress Management & Wellness Programs (EDACALAJ)

Keywords

• Family engagement programs
• Evidence-based interventions
• Parent empowerment training
• Family therapy services
• Social capital building

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that solicits donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Tax-deductible donations can be made online, by check, or through planned giving instruments.
2. Program Implementation Fees: Schools and community organizations pay for FAST Program implementation, including training, materials, and ongoing support. The program can be funded through various school-level funding sources including ESEA.
3. Training and Certification Services: Training of Trainers conference registration fees: Pre-Certification ($2,500), Re-Certification ($1,250), and 2nd Certification ($2,000). These events provide trainer certification and re-certification.
4. Foundation Grants: Grant funding from organizations such as Carnegie Corporation of New York ($100,000 grant in 2022), Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, and American Family Insurance ($2,500 grant in 2023).
5. FAST Institute Training: Professional development and coaching services for educators and school staff through the FAST Institute, funded through grants and direct program fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Families and Schools Together delivers the internationally acclaimed FAST® Program, an evidence-based family engagement program that supports child well-being and learning readiness, empowers parents, and builds social capital through weekly 2.5-hour sessions over 8-10 week cycles. The organization also runs the FAST Institute of Family Engagement providing professional development and coaching for educators, and the annual Training of Trainers conference for certifying FAST Trainers.

Product overview

Families and Schools Together offers a suite of family engagement programs anchored by the FAST® Program—an internationally acclaimed evidence-based family engagement program with four developmental levels (Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle School, and High School). The FAST Institute of Family Engagement provides professional development and coaching for educators on equity-focused family engagement. Post-program support is delivered through FASTWORKS®, a monthly meeting program led by parent graduates. The organization also offers a Training of Trainers conference for certifying FAST Trainers and FAST at Home as a virtual program option. The portfolio is designed to serve children from birth through age 18 and their families, with the core FAST Program being the foundational offering supplemented by professional development services and ongoing parent support networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FAST Program: An internationally acclaimed, evidence-based family engagement program that supports child well-being and learning readiness, empowers parents, and builds social capital. Available at Early Childhood Education, Elementary, Middle School, and High School levels.
• FASTWORKS
• FAST Institute

Products and services

• FAST® Program An internationally acclaimed evidence-based family engagement program that supports child well-being and learning readiness, empowers parents, and builds social capital through weekly 2.5-hour sessions held over 8-10 weeks. The program is available at Early Childhood Education (ages 0-5), Elementary School (ages 4-10), Middle School (ages 10-14), and High School (ages 14-18) levels, with up to 60% adaptability to meet local community needs.
• FAST Institute of Family Engagement A professional development program that trains school staff to partner with families in support of children's education and well-being. The institute offers customizable professional development sessions and coaching focused on equity-focused family engagement best practices, available through Readiness Assessment, Professional Development, and Coaching components.
• FASTWORKS®
• FAST at Home A virtual adaptation of the FAST Program allowing families to participate remotely through at-home or virtual formats.
• Training of Trainers Conference An annual hands-on training conference providing Pre-Certification ($2,500), Re-Certification ($1,250), and 2nd Certification ($2,000) tracks for prospective and current FAST Trainers, with the 2025 conference held July 21-24 in Countryside, IL.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% family retention rate - highest among early intervention parenting skills programs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Office of Family and Children First Council (Ohio)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Hosted the 2023 annual Training of Trainers conference in Independence, Ohio. Partnership supports trainer certification and professional development events.
• Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021First partnership with WEAC in 2021-22 to provide interactive professional development training workshops through WEA Academy. Sessions covered creating welcoming school climate, strengthening classroom conditions, empowering families, bridging inequality gaps, and collaborating with community. Partnership continued into 2022-23 with five in-person sessions and two webinars.
• Milwaukee Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership began in 2018 with funding from Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Five schools (Auer Avenue, Keefe Avenue, Hopkins Lloyd, Brown Street Academy, and Engleburg) began their fifth cycle in fall 2020. Expanded to 20 schools in 2022-23 with Carnegie Corporation funding through the FAST Institute.
• One City Schools (Madison, Wisconsin)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership began in 2016 with One City Schools (Junior Preschool ages 1-3, Senior Preschool ages 4-5). FAST became a core part of efforts to strengthen bonds between parents and children, and parents and school. Dr. Lynn McDonald serves on One City's Board of Directors. Approximately 30 families have graduated.
• Palacký University (Czech Republic)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership with Sts Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology at Palacký University in Olomouc to implement FAST in Czech Republic, making it the 22nd country to implement the program. Project launched March 2020 with funding from European Social Fund through Czech Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. Two program cycles completed with 18 families graduating.
• Focus on Community (Racine, Wisconsin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of Families & Schools Together's longest-standing partners, maintaining the FAST Program in Racine for 28 years. Many FAST Team members are former program participants who serve as advocates. Nonprofit substance abuse prevention agency with mission to unite community in preventing substance abuse and inspiring healthy choices.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Incredible Years: Evidence-based parenting and teacher training program series covering early childhood through adolescence, with published RCTs and broad international dissemination. Competes with FAST on the educator training and parent group program side and on government prevention funding.
• ParentChild+ (formerly Parent-Child Home Program): Early childhood home visiting program targeting school readiness for low-income families, with national network of program sites. Closely comparable to FAST's Early Childhood level in target population and outcomes focus.
• Parents as Teachers: Evidence-based early childhood parent education program delivered through home visits and group meetings, serving families from prenatal through kindergarten. Targets the same family engagement and school readiness outcomes as FAST's Early Childhood level and competes for similar federal and state funding.
• HIPPY USA (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters): Evidence-based home visiting and parent engagement program for families with children ages 3-5, focused on school readiness and parent empowerment. Operates in multiple U.S. states and internationally with a similar trainer-based delivery model.
• Strengthening Families Program (now part of Families Strong Together): Evidence-based family skills training program delivered through group sessions in schools and communities, with comparable age ranges and focus on parent-child relationships and child behavioral outcomes. Directly competes with FAST for school district adoption and prevention-focused grant funding.
• Avance: Evidence-based parent-child education and family support program serving low-income Hispanic and other families, with nine-month curricula and home visits. Comparable in mission, target population, and outcomes focus to FAST's Early Childhood and elementary offerings.

Emerging players

• Family Check-Up (University of Oregon): Evidence-based family intervention program developed at the University of Oregon with multiple RCTs supporting effectiveness. Targets similar family stress, child behavior, and parenting outcomes as FAST but typically delivered via clinical or home-visit formats rather than group meetings.
• Ready4K: Evidence-based family engagement program delivering text-message curriculum and parent support for early childhood through elementary families. Overlaps with FAST on school-based family engagement and serves a comparable low-income family population.

Broad incumbents

• Search Institute: Research and training organization focused on developmental assets and positive youth development, with widely adopted frameworks for schools and communities. Overlaps with FAST on family-school engagement and educator professional development content.
• National PTA: National advocacy and family engagement organization serving K-12 schools and families through PTAs and training resources. Competes indirectly for district family engagement budgets and provides complementary educator-facing family engagement content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FASTcommunity
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@familiesandschoolstogetherinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/familiesandschoolstogether
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/familiesandschoolstogetherinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Families and Schools Together