top of page

about

FAMILY VILLAGE

Family Village is

created for and run

by parents just like you

A cluster of three moms and six children cuddle in a field of tall green grass looking around and laughing
Woman with a floral shirt, top knot and twinkling eyes smiles while wrapping her arms around her two young children

our start

Founder Melanie Hekkelman-Piazza came up with the idea for Family Village in response to raising an infant and 3 year-old while also caretaking her terminally ill mother (in a town she'd just moved to). Fueled by desperation, isolation and rage, she gathered like-minded mothers and set to work building the space of her dreams. Within six months, the doors were open and lives were being changed. Six years and more than 250 families later, Family Village continues to buck the status quo of childcare and parenting norms to bring families the work-life balance they crave. 

et-yellow.png

our mission

“Empowering parents to thrive as both diaper-changers and change-makers by creating space for community care, cooperative entrepreneurship and the decolonizing of cultural norms.”

our values

We create spaces that are

COLLABORATIVE & COMMUNAL
​
​

We strive to be increasingly

RESOURCED & RESOURCEFUL
​
​

We are guided by our

INTEGRITY & INTUITION
​
​

We've set our sight on being

DISRUPTIVE & DECOLONIZING*

​​

*REALITY CHECK: We are a work in progress, which is why we are invested in learning from, partnering with, hiring and being led by queer and BIPOC leaders as we evolve.

A vibrant, large vision board filled with magazine cutouts and quotes leans against a red and yellow brocade wall on a purple, tapestry-covered cabinet below
A woman and young girl in hats with their backs to the camera fill the foreground as a crowd of protestors fills the background in soft-focus

our model

Family Village is a cooperative, which means we exist to serve, empower and enrich the community who use our services. The cooperative model is deliberately disruptive to oppressive systems of injustice... and that's just the way we like it. We are guided by the seven core tenets of cooperatives:

  1. Inclusive & open membership (nondiscriminatory)

  2. Democratic member control (equal voting power)

  3. Member economic participation (shared wealth)

  4. Autonomy & independence (can't be bought off)

  5. Educational (especially RE: benefits of cooperation)

  6. Collaboration amongst cooperatives (synergistic)

  7. Community concern (sustainability & social justice)

our pricing

Although we value transparency in all our money matters, prices vary by location (due to differences in space, capacity, staffing, and demand). For specifics on passes and pricing, please visit your local Village's page (under our Locations menu) or find it below.

join-family-village-pricing (2).jpg
Close-up of decor featuring a candle holder of terra cotta circle of humans with their arms around each other and a spray of eucalyptus branches around the outside

about fvcc

Even before COVID, we saw the desperation of families across the US and began laying plans for a matrix of decentralized but coordinated Villages throughout this country. The vessel for fulfilling that vision is the Family Village Cooperative Collective (also known as FVCC or "The Mothership" for short). 

​

FVCC is disrupting the status quo for parents of young children through proven, gap-filling childcare solutions that:

  • Transform parental and familial wellbeing

  • Drive entrepreneurship among womxn and mothers

  • Leverage under-utilized real estate and resources, and

  • Promote individual and community health and wealth

​

We partner with parents, community leaders, churches and state and municipal legislators to build sustainable, community-driven villages where they are needed (which is everywhere!)

et-yellow.png

our future

et-yellow-flip.png

Tell us about your re-villaging vision and find out how we can support your community's goals!

Thank you for contacting us! We will respond within 48 hours.

et-yellow.png

our founders

Nikki Hastings headshot
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

NIKKI HASTINGS

(SHE/HER/HERS)

Nikki brings a wealth of care and coordination to our employees and community building. She keeps us grounded in connection at every turn. We rely heavily on Nikki's leadership skills, crisis management and HR training as a Sergeant in the Air National Guard (from which she is now retired). Nikki joined the Village before it opened and served on the Steering Committee. As a mom of 3, Nikki credits Family Village with helping her stay centered, develop boundaries, open to the "woo" and leave an unfulfilling marriage. She is a tireless advocate for under-resourced and single moms.

Melanie Hekkelman-Piazza headshot
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

MELANIE PIAZZA

(SHE/HER/HERS)

Melanie is the original vision-keeper for Family Village, which grew from her pain and anger at the lack of support she experienced as a new mother. She brings a marketing background and a penchant for research, storytelling, and finances that keeps us walking the tightrope between our big vision and our bank account. Ever the expander, Melanie relentlessly seeks out new opportunities for connection and growth. She leads from her heart, lets the tears flow when needed and bravely trusts in the seasons of life and business. This undaunted mother of two is devoted to helping mothers (and society) thrive.

Emily Waldeck headshot
CREATIVE DIRECTOR

EMILY WALDECK

(SHE/HER/HERS)

Emily serves as steward of the Family Village vision, voice, aesthetic and vibe. From space styling to copy writing, Emily translates our vision in ways that enliven, align and engage our community. She brings a passion for the ceremonial arts and cultural healing that keeps us attuned to the creative forces that permeate all of life. As a mother of one, Emily joined Family Village shortly after it opened and was an immediate “yes!” to the power of collective entrepreneurship and decolonizing approach. She is a firm believer in the goodness of humans and the stories that help us remember ourselves that way.

FVCC
bottom of page