Extended Family has created our 2026-27 schedule to lead more than forty programs beginning in the fall semester and continuing through the spring. We will provide Extended Family for Kids (EFK) and Extended Family Leadership Academy (EFLA) in four north Alabama counties, including Cherokee, Etowah, DeKalb, and Calhoun to groups in schools and juvenile diversion programs.
Hundreds of school-aged children will be positively impacted by lessons designed to build self-esteem, ease feelings of shame, ease isolation, decrease stress, address anger issues, and strengthen communication skills. EFK is a nine-lesson curriculum that is appropriate for students in kindergarten through 12th grade; EFLA is an eighteen-lesson curriculum designed specifically for older students who are preparing for life after high school. Extended Family is a community-based, non-profit organization which is funded through grants, local funding, and private donations.
EFK is designed to offer support to children who have any family member who has ever been incarcerated. These children often struggle with hardship and stigma which affects their behavior, concentration, schoolwork, and every other aspect of their lives. One of our values is “Children Matter,” and we uphold this value by our commitment to give every child the opportunity to be involved in Extended Family for Kids, which provides them with tools to be successful in every area of life. We work with school counselors and other community agencies to identify students who qualify and would benefit from EFK.
EFLA was originally created as a second step towards success program for children who had completed EFK and today has expanded to include children who are at-risk or just want help in getting from where they are to where they want to go in life. Using the motto, “Lead yourself,” EFLA helps students explore career paths and learn how to make healthy life choices as they plan for their futures with lessons on job readiness, health, communication, and financial independence.
Learn more about the exciting things Extended Family is doing for the families of the incarcerated and for kids by visiting us on Facebook, X, and Instagram @extendedfamilyhelp, or on our website at www.extendedfamilyhelp.org. We are working every day to change lives, one child at a time.