Castleridge, Calgary
Free parenting support
in Castleridge
Castleridge is a diverse, family-rich community in northeast Calgary. Your hub is Families Matter, based on 25th Street NE, with the city's widest selection of parenting classes plus home visitation and newcomer parent education.
Your Starting Point
Your FRN hub: Families Matter
Families Matter is the hub organization for the Northeast Calgary FRN zone. They coordinate all the free parenting programs available to Castleridge families. This is who you call first.
- Address: 3404 25th Street NE, Calgary, T1Y 6C1
- Phone: 403-205-5194
- Website: www.familiesmatter.ca
Just call them. Tell them what you need, or say "I'm not sure what I need but I'd like to talk to someone." They'll guide you — that's literally their job.
What they do
Hub services include:
- Information and referral to the right program
- Connecting you with parenting classes nearby
- Arranging home visitation if you want it
- Youth mentoring referrals
- Rapid access counselling connections
All free. No referral needed. Ages 0-18 + their families.
Northeast Calgary Zone Programs
Programs available near you
Castleridge is in the Northeast Calgary FRN zone. Here are the free programs available to your family through Families Matter and their partner agencies. Castleridge families are well-served by Families Matter's northeast programming. Parenting workshops, home visitation, and newcomer support are all available. Carya runs Functional Family Therapy in the northeast zone for families who need more intensive help.
Parenting Classes
12 multi-session courses and 18 single workshops — from baby sleep to teen communication. The biggest parenting class catalogue in the city.
Via Families Matter
Rapid Access Counselling
A single 75-minute counselling session — no waitlist. Solution-focused help for whatever you're dealing with right now.
Via Kindred
Home Visitation
In-home support for families with children 0-6. Covers parenting skills, child development, and connecting to community resources.
Via Families Matter
Youth Mentoring
1:1 mentoring for kids and teens. Community-based and school-based options available.
Via Big Brothers Big Sisters
Family Therapy
Functional Family Therapy — 12-14 sessions of intensive, evidence-based family therapy to improve communication and reduce conflict.
Via Carya
In-Home Family Support
Resilient Families program — in-home support for families navigating challenges.
Via Hull Services
Available City-Wide
Also available to Castleridge families
These programs are available to all Calgary families regardless of which zone you live in. They're run as overlay FRN zones specifically for Indigenous and immigrant families.
Cultural programming & traditional teachings
Elder support, ceremony, Indigenous parenting teachings, cultural child development, and home visitation grounded in traditional ways. Available city-wide through Miskanawah.
All Indigenous families welcome · No zone restrictions
Cross-cultural parenting & settlement help
Parenting in a new country is different. CIWA offers cross-cultural parenting classes, home visitation in multiple languages, preschool programs (HIPPY), and youth groups for immigrant families.
City-wide · Multiple languages available
Your Community
Other Calgary neighbourhoods with FRN pages
These are nearby communities in the Northeast Calgary FRN zone and adjacent zones. Each has its own page with local details.
- Falconridge
- Pineridge
- Martindale
- Saddle Ridge
- Monterey Park
- Whitehorn
- Temple
How to get started
Most FRN programs accept self-referrals. That means you don't need a doctor, social worker, or anyone else to send you. You can just call.
Step 1
Find your hub
You just did — your hub is Families Matter. You can also use the FRN Finder to double-check your zone.
Step 2
Call them
Call 403-205-5194. Tell them what you're looking for, or just say "I'm not sure what I need but I'd like to talk to someone." They'll guide you.
Step 3
Don't wait
Some programs have waitlists (especially home visitation). Get on the list now rather than waiting until things get harder. Early connection matters.
Not in Castleridge? Find your FRN zone or browse all zones. Every Calgary neighbourhood has free parenting support available.