The SJCC Parenting Center
Birth to Three
The Place to Be
The Stroum JCC Parenting Center provides a warm and nurturing environment for expectant parents and families with young children. We offer programs, classes, and support services designed to strengthen emotional bonds and promote optimal child development.
Contents on this page (please scroll down):
Spring 2008 Classes - Mercer Island
Spring 2008 Classes - Seattle
Spring 2008 Parent Education Lecture
The Stroum Jewish Community Center Parenting Centers are receiving tremendous national attention for our outstanding programs.
Research scientist Mark Rosen, Ph.D., of the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program at Brandeis University, wrote: “One of the most successful parenting centers in the country is [at the SJCC] in Seattle, where parents can join support groups, choose from among a number of programs, attend a Tot Shabbat service, or participate in an annual baby fair. In addition, while their children are in childcare, parents can attend talks by scientists, physicians, authors, and experts in parenting and child development.”
In addition, the SJCC Parenting Centers were highlighted in an article by Dr. Rosen and Dr. Donald Wertlieb of the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University in the January 2008 edition of the “Zero to Three” journal. The journal is a national research-based publication and considered to be the foremost authority on best practices in the infant/toddler early learning field. You can read the article on our web site, www.sjcc.org.
We hope families explore the activities at the SJCC Parenting Centers. Classes are listed on the previous page. Our support groups include:
• NEW IN THE SEATTLE AREA: Shalom Baby is an outreach project designed to welcome families into the Jewish community. About 175 gift baskets will be delivered this year by trained volunteers who will help recipients find support, learn about resources available in the Jewish community, access the SJCC Parenting website, and build community and social connections.
• Listening Mothers is a small group program where mothers of babies up to six months old explore the art and science of mindful parenting. In 2007, the SJCC became the community-wide institutional coordinator for all Listening Mothers sessions in Seattle and Bellevue. Eight-week courses led by trained facilitators provide support and information about infant emotional development to help parents develop strong bonds with their baby.
• Reflective Parenting is a new and innovative program for parents of toddlers using a ten-week curriculum designed to help parents build strong, healthy bonds with their children. Parents learn to understand their child’s emotions, become more confident in parenting, implement effective behavioral interventions, and become aware of the impact parental behavior and feelings have on child’s development.
• Mom2Mom supports new moms during the critical first months of parenthood through personal contact with a volunteer “mentor mom.” The Mom2Mom program is a collaborative project between the SJCC and Jewish Family Service.
Spring 2008 Classes - Mercer Island
Beginning Creative Movement
Walking-23 months
Mondays,
April 28-May 19
9:45-10:30 a.m.
Room 207
$38; Parenting Center or Family Membership
Instructor: Jamie Stults
This high energy class based on both brain and developmental research integrates mind and body. Both moms and tots will have lots of fun exercising their brains and bodies.
Creative Movement
24-36 months
Wednesdays,
April 30-May 21
9:45-10:30 a.m.
Activities Room
$38; Parenting Center or Family Membership
Instructor: Jamie Stults
Incorporating current brain research into her class, Jamie Stults works to integrate your child’s mind and body in this fun class using fundamental movement patterns.
Mindful Interactions with your Baby
12-18 months
Wednesdays,
May 7-May 28
10-11 a.m.
Room 207
$45; Parenting Center or Family Membership
Instructor: Vicki Smolke
Parents will have the opportunity to focus on nurturing and establishing an authentic trusting relationship with their baby through observation, interaction, and discussion.
Mindful Interactions with Your Toddler
20-30 months
Tuesdays,
May 6-May 27
3:15-4:15 p.m.
Room 207
$45; Parenting Center or Family Membership
Instructor: Vicki Smolke
Facilitated by our expert parent educator, parents will encourage their child’s natural ability to initiate, explore and problem solve through discussion, observation, and respectful interaction.
Jewish Beginnings
6-23 months
Tuesdays,
April 29-May 20
9:45-10:30 a.m.
Room 207
$30; Parenting Center or Family Membership
Instructor: Ayelet Brown
This creative and stimulating class will give you and your child the opportunity to explore Jewish themes through art, stories, and music.
Drop In Play
0-36 months
Tuesdays, April 29-May 20
Fridays, April 4-May 23
10:30-11:15 a.m.
Room 207
FREE with Parenting Center or Family Membership
Instructor: Ayelet Brown
Play with your baby or toddler and socialize with friends after class.
Tot Shabbat
0-36 months
Every Friday unless the SJCC is closed
9:45-10:30 a.m.
Main Lobby
FREE with Parenting Center or Family Membership
Instructor: Erik Lawson
Join us and celebrate Shabbat with songs and challah every Friday morning.
Sunday Sing Along
0-5 years
Sunday, April 6, May 4, June 8
10:15-11:15 a.m.
Main Lobby
FREE with Parenting Center or Family Membership
Instructor: Erik Lawson
Mark your calendar to join us once a month for singing fun the whole family can enjoy.
Dad and Me PE
1-3 year old
Sunday, May 4-June 15
$66
Dads, come and play in the gym with your kids. This gym time is set aside especially for kids and dads to explore balls, scooters, scooper and other sports equipment.
Listening Mothers
Join other new moms and their babies for a weekly small group program lead by trained facilitators. Listening Mothers has drawn from brain science, attachment theory, and knowledge about emotional development to help create strong bonds between children and their parents.
This eight-week course provides unique support and information to mothers of babies up to six months old. Groups are limited to seven mothers and their babies in 90-minute sessions.
Cost: $120
Listening Mothers Groups will be held throughout the year at both the Mercer Island and Seattle SJCC facilities. Please check the Listening Mothers website (www.listeningmothers.org) for more details or call 206-275-0104.
Mom2Mom
Mom2Mom supports new first and second-time moms during their critical first months after the baby arrives through personal contact with a volunteer “mentor mom.” The Mom2Mom program is a collaborative project between the SJCC and Jewish Family Service. If you are a new mom or would like to be a mentor, please contact Marjorie Schnyder at 206-861-3146.
Reflective Parenting
Join parents of children ages one and a half to three and a half for a ten-week workshop series in a model called Reflective Parenting. These innovative sessions will provide you new ways to communicate with your child, give you a greater capacity to regulate your child’s emotions, help you become more confident in parenting, help you implement effective behavioral interventions, and help you become aware of the impact your own behavior and feelings have on your child’s development.
With you as the guide, your child will begin to make links between affect, behavior, and the body. This is the process that lies at the core of healthy development and is critical to your child’s emerging sense of self and the ability to regulate emotions and become more resilient.
These sessions are for parents only.
Cost: $120 for an individual or $200 for a couple. To sign up, check the Listening Mothers website (www.listeningmothers.org) or call 206-275-0104.
Shalom Baby
Expecting a baby? Know someone who is? The SJCC Parenting Centers have a gift basket for every new Jewish baby in the greater Seattle area. Before you are ready to come to us, the Parenting Centers will come to you. Your Shalom Baby basket will be delivered by a local new mother or father. Contact us to receive your FREE gift basket full of items that will help you nurture, bond and connect with your baby. Email shalombaby@sjcc.org or call 206-232-7115.
Shalom Baby was brought to the greater Seattle area thanks to the Stroum Jewish Community Center Parenting Centers and made possible by: The Herb and Rita Rosen Family Foundation, the T and A Shemanski Trust Foundation, The Women’s Endowment Foundation and The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle Special Initiatives Fund.
For more information about the SJCC Mercer Island Parenting Center, contact Parenting Center Coordinator Andy Lubner at 206-232-7115, extension 304, or at andyl@sjcc.org.
Spring 2008 Classes - Seattle
Creative Movement
4-5 year olds
Wednesdays, April 2-May 21; no class April 16 or 23
2:40-3:30 p.m.
Room 230
$60; Parenting Center Membership
Instructor: Terra Primaverra
Incorporating current brain research into her class, Coach Terra will work on integrating your child’s mind and body in this fun and exciting class.
Drop In Play – No Registration Necessary
0-36 months
Fridays, April 4-May 23; no class April 18 or 25
10-11:00 a.m.
Room 230
FREE with Parenting Center Membership
Instructor: Liza Caputo
Free exploration with your little one while you socialize with friends after class.
Tot Shabbat – No Registration Necessary
0-36 months
9:15-10 a.m
Room 230
FREE with Parenting Center Membership
Instructor: Julie Warwick
Sing, have fun and celebrate Shabbat with songs and challah every Friday morning.
Listening Mothers
Tuesdays, April 15-June 31-2:30 p.m.
Room 230
$120
Join other new moms and their babies for a weekly small group program led by trained facilitators. Listening Mothers has drawn from brain science, attachment theory, and knowledge about emotional development to help create strong bonds between children and their parents. This eight-week course provides unique support and information to mothers of babies up to six months old. Groups are limited to seven mothers and their babies in 90-minute sessions. For more information, visit www.listeningmothers.org or call 206-275-0104.
For more information about the SJCC Seattle Parenting Center, contact Parenting Center Coordinator Liza Caputo at 206-526-8073, extension 230, or at lizac@sjcc.org.
Spring 2008 Classes - Parent Education Lecture
Mindful Parenting
Monday, April 14, 7-9 p.m.
Town Hall, Seattle
SJCC Parenting Centers Board Member Daniel Siegel, MD
Learn powerful ways to strengthen your bond with your child/children through self-understanding and mindful focus. This practical approach offers a scientifically grounded perspective that can enhance our own lives as we help our child/children develop resilience and compassion.
The SJCC Parenting Centers invite you to attend a lecture by Parenting Center Board member Dr. Daniel Siegel, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and author of Parenting From the Inside Out and
The Mindful Brain. Dr. Siegel studies the ways in which our relationships, our minds and our brains interact to shape who we are and how our children develop.
This lecture is part of the ParentMap Pathways 2008 lecture series; for more information or to purchase tickets go to www.parentmap.com.