by Conni Navarre, Founder of Mother Soulstice The transformation into motherhood is a time of tremendous joy and love that can be coupled with the distress of one’s own personal need to heal both physically and emotionally post birth. Many women don’t receive adequate education and support during this time, which can leave them feeling isolated in their recovery. In…
by Polly Jirkovsky Gual PEPS staff were excited to attend the Infant and Early Childhood Conference held in Tacoma on May 3rd and 4th. While the conference focuses on Early Children Special Needs providers, it brings together a wide variety of parents, health professionals, educators and government and nonprofit workers. Topics such as the importance of music and art for…
Five years ago, Katja Petersen and her husband joined a PEPS group. “We are both originally from Mexico. When we were pregnant with our first child, we found ourselves with no support network. Thankfully, a friend of ours introduced us to PEPS,” Katja said. “The experience of being an immigrant is not easy because people we love are far away. We are forced to build relationships and connections with people that might not speak our language,…
Counting on Community was the theme of this year’s PEPS Benefit Luncheon. Copies decorated the tables and everyone who attended came home with this colorful board book that counts up fun neighborhood activities and relationships. When PEPS contacted the author, Innosanto Nagara, to ask if we could share his book at the Luncheon, he said simply that community belongs to…
When she was pregnant, Jen had researched PEPS and signed up. When Jen finally had her baby, however, she called PEPS to cancel. While postpartum mood and anxiety disorder are very common, affecting 1 in 5 new moms, many women without a mental health history are completely unprepared for this postpartum complication. Jen said there were signs leading up to what…
by Heather Cooper, Seattle Children’s Hospital Active kids enjoy improved mental wellness and reduce their risk of heart disease. When the days are short, the weather is cold or dreary, or you’re unable to head outside, kids still need to be getting physical activity each and every day. Emily Carter, athletic trainer, and Dr. Monique Burton, director of the Sports Medicine Program at Seattle Children’s Hospital, recently shared ideas for indoor activities that put a smile on a…
by Carina Davio I met with a potential volunteer this week. We met for coffee and discussed her excitement about our new organization and ways she may be able to contribute. After that, I asked her about her experience so far in preparing for her 9-month-old baby and for parenthood. She shared with me about how she and her husband took multiple childbirth preparation…
Last Fall, PEPS partnered with Cocoon House, the Snohomish Health District, and Crossroads Alternative High School to offer a PEPS Group to new moms. The PEPS Group started with 5 new moms and met for 8 weeks. Students received credit at Crossroads Alternative High School by participating in the program. The PEPS format encouraged the moms to talk to each other…
Story time is a great time to teach your kids to be noticers. And noticing is half the battle. Western literature has a long history of racism. This has taken two forms. The soft racism of erasure and the hard racism damaging depictions of people of color. Teach your kids to notice erasure One of my daughter’s favorite books is…
Republished with permission from Vroom Hardly a day goes by without stories about racism, sexism, bias, prejudice and stereotyping in the news. How do children learn these attitudes? Can children catch social bias simply by watching adults? A new study by Andrew N. Meltzoff and colleagues from the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, offers evidence that…