PEPS West Seattle Newsletter

Happy New Year!

In this January 2006 UPDATE you will find...

Changes at PEPS
New Feature at WS PEPS Website!
Westside Baby’s 5th Annual Tea – Save the Date
Local Counseling Resource
ParentMap Drivers Wanted
Kindergarten Fair & Enrollment Tours - January 21
Resource for New Moms

Have you been to our website lately? Keep current by checking www.pepswestseattle.org frequently. Please make sure to keep us informed should your email or mailing address change. Share your ideas with us anytime – we value your feedback and are happy to post events or announcements of interest to West Seattle PEPS families!

1. Changes at PEPS

As you may have heard, there have been significant changes at PEPS over the course of the last several months. Due to fiscal challenges, PEPS has suspended programs that cost more than the organization could continue to support. The affected programs included the Teen Parent, PEPS en Espanol, and Infant/Toddler groups. In 2006, PEPS will not only focus on stabilizing its finances but will also strengthen its core model, the Newborn Program, by making it more attractive and useful to specialized populations that have not been reached effectively in the past. PEPS’ mission remains unchanged: to provide community-based programs that enable parents of infants and young children to meet the challenges of parenting through mutual support and shared information.

These changes will not affect PEPS in West Seattle and the community-building we have focused on for the past 3-1/2 years. We hope you will continue to support PEPS by volunteering and contributing financially. For more information and to read the full announcement regarding these changes from Tim Gahm, new Executive Director, and Alisa Webb, Board of Directors President-Elect, click here: http://pepsgroup.org/about/news/pepschanges.htm

2. New Feature at WS PEPS Website!

Have you visited our site lately? A new feature launched last month is the Community Calendar – check it regularly to find out about what’s going on in the West Seattle area. We are happy to receive suggestions for activities and events to include. Email amy@dalydonovan.com with your requests and we’ll include them.

Please also take a look at our local Resource Guide for listings of stores and services in West Seattle of interest to families. We are also happy to add to this list, just let us know.

We are looking into adding some new exciting features this year, so stay tuned and please provide us with feedback on the site.

3. Westside Baby’s Fifth Annual Valentine Tea – Save the Date!

Save the date for the 5th Annual Valentine’s Day Tea to benefit Westside Baby! Sunday February 12 is the date, the Tea is being held this year at the Atrium at the Seattle Design Center. Westside Baby is actively recruiting Table Captains to invite friends to learn more about and help support this wonderful organization. For more information, contact Erin Audley at erinaudley@comcast.net.

As always, diapers (all sizes), baby blankets, clothing, and baby equipment are needed -- why not clean out your unused items now and donate them to Westside Baby? Feel free to drop off donations at West Seattle Kids Hair Salon or the Fauntleroy Church. Thank you so very much!! www.westsidebaby.org

4. Local Counseling Resource

Ben Luedke is a West Seattle psychotherapist who has worked extensively with children and families. He is the father of an infant, and has been an active member of a local PEPS group (which now meets informally). He would like to offer his support to the local PEPS community as people approach the challenge and excitement of parenthood. He is available as a speaker for West Seattle PEPS groups, and as a local counseling resource for families needing additional support. Ben would be happy to speak to any concerns parents-to-be might have with respect to dealing with the stress and sleeplessness involved, couples' communication, dad's playing an active part in pregnancy and caring for infants, post-partum depression, et al. You can learn more about Ben and the work he does at www.WestSeattleCounseling.com.

4. ParentMap Drivers Wanted

ParentMap is looking for friendly, conscientious drivers to deliver our magazines. Candidates must be able to work 10+ hour days on 3 days a month and be available to deliver special editions 2 to 3 times a year. Must have good driving record, insurance and a large, reliable vehicle. You will be the face of ParentMap to distribution points around the city and great customer service is a must! Job includes delivering papers, picking up and tracking old issues and recycling them. If interested, please contact our Distribution Manager at the following email address: michelle@parentmap.com. For more information about ParentMap, go to www.parentmap.com.

5. Kindergarten Fair & Enrollment Tours

The annual Kindergarten Fair sponsored by South Seattle Community College for West Seattle schools will be Saturday, January 21, 2006 from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Jerry Brockey Center at the college. The Fair features school exhibits and enrollment information. Talk to school representatives and enrollment specialists. Attend a presentation and get your questions answered. For new students, bring your child's registration information - we'll review it with you to be sure it's complete - making it faster and more convenient when you go to an Enrollment Center or the Bilingual Family Center to enroll your child.

Most schools in West Seattle are offering school tours throughout January and February for prospective students. West Seattle boasts a great selection of excellent public schools in addition to many private school choices. West Seattle is lucky to have a public alternative choice in Pathfinder K-8, located on Genesee Hill. Pathfinder is known for “guiding children down their own path through expeditionary learning, flexible and challenging classroom environments, focus on multiple intelligences and social/emotional development, environmental education, and Native American studies”. Learn more by visiting http://www.seattleschools.org/schools/pathfinder

6. Resource for New Moms

Announcing a great free resource for first time moms in the Seattle-King County area - Mom2Mom is now in its second year of providing support to first time moms through visits with volunteer peer mentors, connections to local classes, groups and other resources, and information about the community.

Mom2Mom is a Jewish Family Services program and provides support to new mothers during the critical first months after the baby arrives, through one:one contact with a volunteer “mentor mom.” Ideally, moms sign up during their last trimester and meet their mentors before the baby is born. However, moms can join us anytime in the first months after the baby’s birth. The project is especially great for moms who have recently moved to Seattle and/or those without family connections nearby. Space is available right now for several moms to join! Any first time mother who would like to meet with another mom to talk, learn about resources, and get some extra support is welcome to participate.

For more information, please contact Marjorie Schnyder, MSW, Mom2Mom Project Coordinator at (206) 461-3240 ext. 3146 or jfle@jfsseattle.org.

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