Great Start Livingston is always exploring ways to connect with families.
This past year created some new opportunities for us to build connections with our families.
Through the Trusted Advisors grant, we have offered a Daddy and Me workshop for Dads and their child(ren). This interactive workshop encourages and shows how dads can help children become readers. In the past, this workshop was offered in person and has now been adapted to be offered virtually and as a Facebook live event. Each family received a kit prior to the event. The kit included books, activity items and resources. One of our local youth librarians, who is a dad with young children, facilitated the workshop. This has been a unique opportunity to connect with dads and for dads to connect with one another.
Parent Cafes have been offered virtually and in person over the past two years. This event gave us the opportunity to connect deeper with a handful of parents and build a relationship with another local library to host the parent cafes. Parents who attend cafes report that they feel empowered and encouraged in their parenting journey. We look forward to offering more Cafes to our community this year.
Outdoor events provided a much-needed social connection for our families while providing a safe space.
Late spring 2021, families were ready to start connecting and the Parent Coalition hosted a park playdate with pizza event. Many of our families attended, enjoyed seeing others, played on the playground, and were able to visit with others in a safe space. In the summer, the Parent Coalition set up a playdate at a local goat farm which offered outdoor and indoor educational activities. This was one of our larger events and was thoroughly enjoyed by adults and children.
A local library, in partnership with our Parent Coalition, hosted a dance party for our families late summer. Families brought their blankets to create their space and pizza was provided for families. A youth librarian facilitated the dance party with music, noise makers and energy.
In the fall, the Parent Coalition hosted a pumpkin patch field trip at a local orchard. Parents were able to experience and enjoy a hayride, selection of a pumpkin, doughnuts, cider, and time on the playground. The families have provided feedback on what other events they would like to see happen, and we look forward to hosting more family-friendly outdoor events to meet these needs.
It is important to our families that they can continue to build relationships and social connections while keeping their families safe. Our community has been split on where their individual comfort levels are for face-to-face interactions. Providing events in multiple formats encourages participation, while supporting families and acknowledging where their individual needs are. During these events, we also noticed family units coming together. This included multiple adults such as moms, dads, grandparents, friends, and caregivers coming together to an event with the children.
Some of our parents created a video of their testimonials and support for the Parent Coalition. They want other parents to know the benefits of being a part of the parent coalition as well as encourage community agencies to continue to value parent voices in their work. The video can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/e7dj27lh7O4
We have amazing parents and want to continue to work alongside them as we explore creative ways to keep building connections and supporting families in our county during their parenting journey with young children.
