Austin Nonprofit Offers New Moms Support, Free Diapers, Gift Card

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX — The Austin nonprofit Central Health and Partners in Parenting (PIP) is offering free support groups sessions for parents of newborns and infants to help make a challenging time for new families a little easier, officials said.

PIP organizes and facilitates community-based peer support groups for new parents to help ease the transition to parenthood, officials said. PIP is part of Seattle-based Program for Early Parent Support, or PEPS, which was founded in 1982 by a group of early childhood educators and social service workers to bring new parents together in their community during the critical first few months of a child’s life, according to PIP officials.

“The first months of parenting are magical and challenging,” Jessica Burleson, Partners in Parenting Executive Director, explained in a prepared statement. “Having a village of other new parents with whom to share the journey, along with resources and support, is vital to raising healthy families. We’re thrilled to offer this service in partnership with Central Health.”

In explaining the inspiration for the support groups, Central Health Southeast Health & Wellness Center officials said they recognized a growing need to provide support for parents with low income beyond doctor’s visits and well-baby checkups.

“Partners in Parenting came to us and asked if we would be willing to host their support groups and we jumped at the opportunity,” Elizabeth Marrero, Program Director at Central Health Southeast Health & Wellness Center, said in a prepared statement. “It complements other programs and classes we offer including our Centering Parenting classes, which ensure babies get regular health exams, tests and immunizations. And these vital programs are free to participants.”

PIP received a grant from the O’Neill Foundation allowing them to offer their PIPsqueak parent support groups in both English and Spanish at Central Health Southeast Health & Wellness Center, officials added. “This is a very exciting initiative for PIP," Marcia Del Rios, Partners in Parenting Bilingual Program Manager, said in a prepared statement. "Our program has grown exponentially since our founding in 2014, and we feel strongly that through community partnerships like this one with Central Health, we can achieve our goal of providing support for all new parents in Austin.”

Mothers with babies zero to six-months old are invited to sign up for the support group, which meets on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Moms also receive free diapers and gift cards when they attend. The next Spanish language support group begins on Tuesday, July 17, and runs for 10 consecutive weeks.
To sign-up, call (512)-829-1704 or register at pipaustin.org. Central Health Southeast Health & Wellness Center is located at 2901 Montopolis Dr., Austin 78741.

>>> Photos courtesy of Central Health and Partners in Parenting