Women’s centre reaches out to young families
Neither the playgroup nor the prenatal classes of the Lennoxville and District Women’s center are new initiatives, but according to center director Terry Moore, both have seen significant changes take place in recent years. Following the release of poll data from Quebec’s Early Childhood Observatory in October that showed parents in the province feel underserved in their communities, Moore and LDWC facilitators Rowan Smith and Charity Kerrigan sat down with The Record to highlight the ways that the centre has reimagined its approaches in order to better reach and support young families in the Eastern Townships.
“The women’s centre has prioritized young families,” Moore said, explaining that after a significant period of reflection on the work they were doing in the community and in light of new research showing the particular need in young English speaking families in Quebec for additional support, the Women’s center stepped up its existing programming to try to fill the void.
At the centre of the new approach, according to the director, was the hiring of Smith, an international board certified lactation consultant and doula, and Kerrigan, an early childhood educator. Under their oversight, the prenatal courses and playgroup have been re-imagined as more engaging, relationship-based resources, and new programs like a parent –child yoga course and the “Parent Tap” workshop sessions have been developed to help provide a broad spectrum of support.
Kerrigan and Smith described the four activities as a kind of interconnected chain that provides the possibility of parenting resources from pregnancy right up to school age. The two both facilitate the playgroup and Parent Tap workshops while Kerrigan leads the yoga group and Smith is responsible for the prenatal course.
“It’s not the same prenatal class that most people get,” Smith said, explaining that her background as a doula, a professional focused on supporting and accompanying the birthing process, has led her to create a program that is more inclusive and focused on the human aspects of birth than the clinical
“I prefer to spend the time talking about why babies behave the way they do,” she said. “I don’t focus on how to escape the pain of childbirth.”
Over the course of the program, Smith said that she works on clarifying misunderstandings and unexpected elements of childbirth as well as doing things like visiting the maternity ward at the local hospital.
Although participants are not required to go from one to the next, Kerrigan described the twice-weekly playgroup in Lennoxville as a natural extension of the relationship formed in that prenatal class. The educator explained that the new structure created for the group provides an opportunity for mothers to turn to her and Smith’s expertise while also giving them an opportunity to learn from each other.
“It’s moms sharing knowledge among other moms,” Kerrigan said, adding that activities and workshops organized through the gathering provide opportunities for mothers and children to play while also developing understandings of healthy body image, fostering consent, maintaining physical wellbeing, infant sleep, language enrichment, and early literacy skills, among other topics. Established within a framework of not being judgmental of others, she said that the idea is that the group becomes the proverbial village it takes to raise a child.
The LDWC has designated the playgroup a safe space for mothers who may have faced or may be facing abuse, meaning that when the group meets in the community centre it is only open to mothers and their children. Outings, however, are open to all family (dads included) as a way of keeping the relationship accessible and engaged with the community.
Where playgroup offers a mother-child activity in the morning, the new yoga group pairs early literacy and physical activity in an evening slot for slightly older children who may no longer be able to go to the earlier activities. Drawing on her education background Kerrigan combines storytelling and imaginative play for the children with legitimate practice of yoga. The activity is now in the middle of its second session.
Finally, the Parent Tap workshops offered by the two facilitators together are designed as a safe and comfortable environment for all parents to come for advice and support on a range of issues related to raising children. Topics covered so far include tantrums, transitions, effective communication, and self care.
This series, according to Moore, was developed as a specific response to research showing that English speaking children entering Kindergarten in the Eastern Townships are significantly more likely to be considered at risk in more than one of five key development areas. The idea, the director said, was that offering parents a space in which to take concerns about their children in a community setting (rather than a clinical one) would make getting help and support more accessible.
The organizers also pointed to the value of the fact the Parent Tap events are for parents to come to without their children, noting that sometimes it is easier to building knowledge together when you don’t have to worry about keeping an eye on what your child is doing.
“It was the best way for us to respond (to the research) as a women’s centre,” Moore said, adding that the focus of the organization now is on getting the word out about the fact that these resources exist. “We know the people are out there, we just need to connect with them,” the director said, adding that the LDWC is also continuing its work of encouragement and empowerment beyond childhood with women of all ages in the community.
Information about the programming of the LDWC is available on the organization’s website, http://www.ldwc.ca/, as well as on their Facebook page. The Next Parent Tap Workshop, on the subject of siblings, is set to take place this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at 257 Queen Street in Lennoxville at a cost of $5 for women’s centre members or $15 for non members.