Parenting Communities of Leelanau County will resume its “Families Together” sessions starting this month, giving those interested an opportunity to gather and explore topics related to early childhood development.
Autumn Jurek, Parenting Communities personal health supervisor, said the sessions are held once a month throughout the school year until May, and while they are not specifically curriculum based, it was dreamed up by a team of early childhood and infant mental health professionals in the community. She said the concept was developed using the group’s knowledge of principles related to early childhood as well as the experiences that staff had from their roles as parents and professionals who work closely with families in the community.
The first session is set for Nov. 18 from 5:15-7:30 p.m. at Glen Lake Community Reformed Church in Burdickville. Dinner is provided, so people can expect to join together in a community meal before parents and children are given a child-led activity to do together. After the activity, the parents and children separate, with the kids engaging in supervised play time with parenting communities’ team members and volunteers. Finally, parents get together at this time with session facilitators to discuss the topic of the evening.
