Mark your calendars for another Saturday Edition - Baby & Caregiver Meetup, happening on Saturday, July 26th with Barbarina, who also facilitates our Thursday meetup 💜
Join us from 10am-12pm on the Greenway Institute College Green on College St, Montpelier. If it's raining, we'll meet inside Noble Hall at 39 College St, Montpelier.
Learn more about our Meetups here: bit.ly/babycaregivermeetup
Last week, we had a terrific time at our very first Pop-Up Picnic in the Park at Trow Hill Playground in Barre — with 23 children and their families joining the fun!
🌳 Picnic in the Park Playgroup – This Friday with Heidi & Andrea! 🧺
We’re excited to invite you to our next Pop-Up Playgroup happening this Friday, July 18th at the Northfield Falls Community Playground
📍 16 Burnham Rd, Northfield, VT 05663
🕙 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
🎉 What’s Happening:
🛝 Playground exploration
✨ Parachute play
🖍️ Sidewalk chalk fun
🫧 Bubbles galore
🎶 Circle time with story & songs (starts around 11:15–11:30)
🧺 What to Bring:
Lunch and a water bottle
Sunscreen and/or bug spray
A blanket/towel/chair to sit on
This is a free, relaxed playgroup open to all — come connect, explore, and enjoy a morning of fun in the sun with us!
🌤️ Note: All outdoor events are weather permitting. Stay updated on our Facebook page or at fcwcvt.org
We can’t wait to see you there! 😊
🗣️”I scream, You scream, We all scream for ICECREAM!!” 🍦🍨🍧
What a fun afternoon at the Family Center! The Early Childhood Building had a great time serving icecream for the kids, staff and parents!
We served a choice of Black raspberry or Vanilla icecream, icecream sandwiches or popsicles! Can’t forget the yummy addition of sprinkles!
Nothing like a cool, delicious treat on a hot Summer Day! 🕶️☀️🌻t
Comment on Facebook 198934400121509_1128832755948699
How adorable! Great ideal.
This was the most adorable idea. Thank you for making childhood extra sweet (literally and figuratively) for our little ones🍦
🔉Excessive heat can impact young children’s development and health both in the moment and across the lifespan. Implementing strategies to reduce exposure to extreme heat benefits children, caregivers, and communities. 🔉
Join us for a live conversation, Addressing the Impact of Extreme Heat on Young Children, on July 17 at 1 pm ET, as we explore how communities are working to reduce the effects of extreme heat on early childhood development.▶️ Upcoming Webinar: Addressing the Impact of Extreme Heat on Young Children
Climate change is affecting the experiences and exposures that shape early childhood development, including recent record-breaking heat across the US.
Practical, actionable solutions exist to mitigate the impact of extreme heat on children and caregivers, and many communities are already implementing them to good effect.
Join us for a live conversation next week on how communities are addressing the impact of extreme heat on early childhood. More details + registration here: bit.ly/3Tw7U5r
☀️We are ON for Trow Hill Playground tomorrow! ☀️
🎉 Picnic in the Park Pop-Up Playgroup! 🎉
📅 Friday, July 11th
📍 Trow Hill Playground – 291 Hill St, Barre, VT 05641
🕙 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM (with optional lunch & circle time to follow)
We are so excited to invite you to our first Picnic in the Park Pop-Up Playgroup — happening this Friday at Trow Hill Playground!
We’ll kick things off at 10:00 AM with lots of fun, free play, and exploration. Around 11:15–11:30 AM, we’ll wind down with lunch together, followed by a circle time featuring a story and songs.
🌟 What to Expect:
• 🛝 Playground exploration
• ✨ Parachute play
• 🖍️ Sidewalk chalk fun
• 🫧 Bubbles galore
• 🎶 Circle time with story & singing
💡 What to Bring:
• Lunch/Water bottle
• Sunscreen / bug spray
• A blanket or towel to sit on
This is a relaxed, free playgroup — open to all. 🧺🌳😊
Picnic in the Park Playgroups are weather permitting - stay up to date with or Facebook page or at fcwcvt.org
☀️ Dads and Kids Playgroup is on for tonight! ☀️
Join David & Steve Thursday, July 10, from
5-6:30 P.M. in our Early Childhood Building- dinner is included and will be scrumptious! Made with love by our very own Chef Ms. Andrea!
She is currently preparing Grilled Drumsticks, Potatoes and Mac & Cheese! YUM! 😋 🍽️ 💟 🍗
We are thrilled to share a Spanish translated social media graphic so our Spanish-speaking families know about Summer Meals! 🍉🥒🥬🌽🍎
Finally, did you know that Hunger Free Vermont wants to provide additional translated materials? 💪🏾 If you are interested in other materials and / or in other language(s), please let us know! We are happy to work with you so that everyone can learn about the food help available to them.
We’re thrilled to share that The Family Center was once again the proud beneficiary of Bailey Road's second annual Dress Drive!
Customers generously donated gently loved dresses from their closets to Bailey Road in exchange for a $10 coupon toward a new dress. These beautiful donations were then delivered to The Family Center and made available to the moms we serve—bringing joy, confidence, and community support to local families.
In addition to the dress donations, The Family Center also received a generous $1,500 contribution, raised by Bailey Road during the event. We’re incredibly grateful for this support and the community spirit it represents.
A heartfelt thank you goes to Bailey Road owner, Sarah DeFelice, for making this special collaboration possible. We look forward to the continued success of this inspiring event in the years to come!
Pictured Left to Right: Gwen Schuyler, Andrea Epstein, Avalon House, Dexx Berry, Dale Schaft, Heidi Austin, Kelly Covey, Briana Gibbs. Front: Sarah DeFelice
Comment on Facebook We’re thrilled to ...
We are so grateful for this beautiful connection!! Huge Shout Out of appreciation to our community and the amazing folks at Bailey Road!
Yay! What a great day <3
What a great event. Miss you all!
Bailey Road is at the Family Center today from 10am-12pm with an assortment of gorgeous dresses and shoes for donation!
Come check it out and try some on to take home! They have all sorts of styes and lengths for all sizes! 👠 👗
Comment on Facebook 198934400121509_1126333672865274
Such beautiful dresses and shoes...such a gift! 💟🌈
FCWC Playgroup Schedules
2024 Playgroup Schedule
Wednesdays at the Aldrich Public Library
in Barre from 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Saturdays at the Family Center
in Montpelier from 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Thursdays at the Family Center
in Montpelier from 5:00-6:30 p.m.
Thursdays at the Family Center in Montpelier or
The Children’s Room in Waterbury from 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Workshops for Parents & Caregivers
Contact [email protected] to learn more!
Support Group for Women
RESOURCES
Good Resource for Families
Check out our local partners’ opportunities for families!
All Brains Belong VT is a non-profit primary care and community center in Montpelier. ABB uses an inclusive design model to offer flexible, customized ways of accessing medical care and community connection. Community center events for children, adults, and families are free and open to people of all ages, including those receiving primary care elsewhere. Check out their programming!
Prevent Child Abuse Vermont Family Support Programs The Circle of Parents Support Groups are ongoing! New parenting classes at regular intervals! Check out the website! To enroll or join their wait list, please email [email protected].
Good Beginnings of Central Vermont– View their page to see the great programming available!
Contact [email protected] or 802-595-7953 for information. Don’t forget to follow them on Facebook!
Check out other local events: https://www.goodbeginningscentralvt.org/events/
The Children’s Room – The Children’s Room supports families with young children by providing a space to build an informal network of peers, access local resources, and the ability to visit a free, fun and safe place to socialize! See their Facebook page for updates!
See their calendar of events: http://www.childrensroomonline.org/calendar.html
Additional Resources:
Find Vermont Libraries | Department of Libraries– Find your local library and see what’s new for the fall for children and youth and their families!
How To Talk so Little Kids Will Listen Podcasts, parent education, and answers to reader questions!
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard abundant article, videos, podcasts and more!
American Academy of Pediatrics resources for health and more!
The AAP Parenting Website additional information specifically for parents, broken down by age groups.
Zero To Three videos and articles for parents of young children!
Vroom Vroom believes all parents want what’s best for their children. So we joined with scientists, researchers, and parents to take the science out of the lab and put it in the hands of caregivers. Vroom provides science-based tips and tools to inspire families to turn shared, everyday moments into Brain Building Moments®.
Washington County Mental Health Services Provides services for all ages and provides supports to families through their Children, Youth & Family program. Children, Youth & Family Programs encompass a wide variety of office and community-based services, as well as school and home-based services for children and their families living with mental illness. Services are available to expectant mothers and parents up to and including youth who are 22 years of age. WCMH is available 24/7 at 802-229-0591 to help if you’re in crisis.
Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice is a full service, not-for-profit Visiting Nurse Association committed to providing high quality, medically-necessary home health and hospice care to all central Vermonters, regardless of a person’s ability to pay. In addition, we promote the general welfare of all central Vermonters with health promotion, long term care, and maternal-and-child health services.
Help Me Grow Vermont The goal of Help Me Grow Vermont is to create strong families, which helps promote healthy child development, and ensure that all children reach their greatest potential.
Vermont Foodbank find local resources and donate to help others.
Hunger Free Vermont working to end the injustice of hunger and malnutrition for all Vermonters. Food resources for you! Advocacy opportunities. See this resource Stretch Your Budget with Vermont Food Programs
Vermont Everyone Eats Vermont Everyone Eats has been contracted to continue services!
Food Pantries via 2-1-1 The Vermont 2-1-1 database is updated on a regular basis. However, since information can change at any time it may be a good idea to telephone the service provider for details.
Vermont Home Owner Assistance Program – VHFA is now accepting applications for the Vermont Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP). Eligible Vermont homeowners will be awarded grants for the purpose of preventing home foreclosure and homeowner displacement. This can include assistance with overdue mortgage payments, homeowners’ association fees, property taxes and utilities.
2023 Family Center Newsletters
Dec. 21, 2023 December Delights
Nov. 28, 2023 Giving Tuesday
Oct. 17, 2023 Harvest Happenings
Sept. 22, 2023 Fantastic Fall
July 18, 2023 Summer Connections
June 21, 2013 Joyous June
May 15, 2023 May Messages & Happy Mothers Day
April 20, 2023 April Activities & Announcements
March 14, 2023 March Musings
February 21, 2023 February Feature
January 20, 2023 See What’s New in 2023
2022 Family Center Newsletters
December 15, 2022 December Delights!
November 29, 2022 GivingTuesday
November 16, 2022 Issue Thankful November!
October 19, 2022 Issue October Is Not Spooky!
September 22, 2022 Issue September News and Summer Catch Up!
June 15, 2022 Issue June Joys!
May 11, 2022 Issue May is Mental Health Awareness Month
April 13, 2022 Issue April Celebrations
March 9, 2022 Issue March Mud and Maple Syrup
February 9, 2022 Issue February Winter Wonderings and Happenings
January 12, 2022 Issue January New Beginnings
2021 Family Center Newsletters
December 8, 2021: https://mailchi.mp/0a3502d52d80/december-gifts?e=076d6421b7
November 29, 2021: https://mailchi.mp/4c8fd9618820/family-center-winter-newsletter-19142312?e=076d6421b7
November 2021: https://mailchi.mp/b6e33a5ef482/giving-thanks-this-november?e=076d6421b7
October 2021: https://mailchi.mp/0cad9570e9c6/october-newsletter-nothing-scary-here?e=076d6421b7
September 2021: https://mailchi.mp/b55dd94ac7f2/help-us-keep-fellow-vermonters-and-their-babies-happy-and-healthy?e=076d6421b7
June 11, 2021: https://mailchi.mp/94172ccbdfb2/summer-fun-and-summer-safety-tips?e=076d6421b7
May 26, 2021: https://mailchi.mp/324638f2ca52/gardening-for-the-family?e=076d6421b7
May 11, 2021: https://mailchi.mp/cf82a9f8e148/hope-for-housing-drive-and-toddler-tips?e=076d6421b7
April 2021: https://mailchi.mp/f51228ef8cf8/parent-child-centers-are-making-a-difference?e=076d6421b7
April 2021: https://mailchi.mp/80d48aaf93ba/family-center-newsletter-19116644?e=076d6421b7
March 24, 2021: https://mailchi.mp/7fe2dfd85aa1/family-center-newsletter-18787328?e=076d6421b7
March 2021: https://mailchi.mp/a068a03505f7/family-center-newsletter-18785428?e=8decd80783
February 2021: https://mailchi.mp/8b7b0ee8a22f/family-center-winter-newsletter-18779660?e=076d6421b7
January 2021: https://mailchi.mp/33820336f7bd/family-center-summer-newsletter-18775632?e=076d6421b7