In 2017, PEPS reorganized its staffing structure and created three Community Connector positions. For the past two years, these three Connectors have developed critical relationships with the communities in our service area. Their work involves identifying service gaps and barriers to parent-support services and determining ways that PEPS can help close the gaps and remove those barriers. The Connectors accomplish…
Hi! Your friendly, neighborhood Transwoman here! My name is Allanah Raas-Bergquist, and I am the Operations Coordinator at PEPS. I use she/her pronouns and am Dad/Dadda/Daddy to my 5-year-old daughter Svea (her pronouns vacillate between she/they/fancylady/poopadoop). March 31st is International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDoV), which for me is the most important of the few trans* holidays that are on the…
Most of us support PEPS for similar reasons. Maybe we were in a PEPS group ourselves, know and love someone who was, or lead PEPS groups in our spare time. Digging down, though, beyond our own experiences, I bet we are all compelled by the belief that no parent deserves to be alone. We want every new parent to find…
Being a new parent can be challenging. No matter how much research you do before your little one joins your family, it’s still common to feel isolated, ill-equipped, or unsupported once they arrive. The Program for Early Parent Support (fondly known as PEPS) and Valley Medical Center’s Children’s Therapy team have partnered to ease some of the worry for new…
5 Basics This Pediatrician Wants Every New Parent to Know Vanessa Raymond, a writer for Right as Rain, a digital publication which provides health and wellness news, tips and information brought to you by the experts at UW Medicine. Pregnancy and Birth in Puerto Rico as an Expat Anjelica Malone, author of Milk Boss 101: The Modern Breastfeeding Journal and Guide shares what it’s like to…
This spring, Open Arms Perinatal Services and PEPS started a peer support group for Spanish-speaking families. Open Arms hosted these meetings at El Centro de la Raza and coordinated additional support for the mothers who attended. Maria, Community Connector at PEPS, and Betty Hernandez, a doula at Open Arms, led this first-time pilot group. Betty is also an obstetrical nurse and acts…
by Kimberly Chan This post was originally published at https://www.oktobeimperfect.com/preparing-baby-emotional-changes-challenges/. Emotional changes and challenges should be expected with the arrival of a new baby. As I prepare to lead a PEPS Newborn group discussion on Emotional Changes and Challenges and prepare for the arrival of our second child, I want to share my approach with other new and expecting parents…
Grandparents gathered for a PEPS quarterly grandparent happy hour to celebrate National Grandparents Day. Jan Faull facilitated the discussion on kids and positive social behavior. We asked attendees to sit at tables organized the age of their grandchild(ren). Discussion was animated, and grandparents talked about their role being involved. Here’s a look at what they shared: What do you want…
Julia Calkins is a new PEPS Group leader! She and her husband Jeremy have been married for 4 years this summer. “Our little guy is 19 months old. We were in an evening group starting when Gus was about 8 weeks old and it was so helpful in so many ways!” she said. Like many PEPS parents, they didn’t have…
Suz Fix participated in a Newborn PEPS Group back in 2016. “During one of the most challenging (and joyful) times in my life, PEPS provided me with a safe and supportive environment where I could talk freely and connect with other new moms.” She decided to give back by being a volunteer leader for another PEPS Group, helping other new parents…
