September's Aspire Parent Group

Thanks to all those parents who joined us at the recent Aspire Parent Group discussion on September 17, 2014! We had a great turn out with wonderful parents who were full of encouraging ideas.

It's so great to have the opportunity to come together to support and learn from one another's experiences. The Aspire Parent Group strives to facilitate an effective and important social connection for parents. Social connections are essential networks of support that include friends, family members, neighbors and community members who provide emotional support, help solve problems, offer parenting advice, and give concrete assistance.

During this month's group session, we all sat together, asked questions about services and their providers, and received great answers from our stellar parents! Below are the questions that were asked and the answers that were received:

Question 1: When you find “good help” or services, how do you make sure other parents know about it?

• Social Media (Facebook groups ["The Mama Hood"], Pinterest, Blogs, Twitter)
• Grab extra flyers for friends
• Health fairs
• Talk about it in a friend group
• Tell friends in one-on-one conversation
• Women's organizations (Relief Society, etc.)
• Host a party and have family and friends talk about it
• Text messaging

Question 2: What makes a service provider really, really good?

• You can sense that they are genuine and that they care about you and your children
• They give you time to ask questions
• They show true compassion
• They listen and don't judge as they try to understand the situation
• They think outside of the box
• They are kid friendly as they put emphasis on the kids
• You feel comfortable because they have you in mind
• You can tell that they want to be there and help you
• They don’t make you feel bad as a mom

Question 3: How have services and service providers been a positive part of your life?

• They have helped me to connect with other moms 
• Their consistent follow-up has been very helpful
• They have provided a nice break in life's routine
• Their free classes have taught me and encouraged me
• The various resources they have given me have been helpful 
• They have provided helpful connections to other providers
• Their caring about my child’s improvement has been a positive impact
• They consist of people who I feel are on my "team"

Feel free to comment below if you have additional answers to these questions. We love hearing from our wonderful followers!

This monthly group is a great way for parents to learn and grow from each other. It's also a great way to get free babysitting for an hour, plus a free child's book!

  

We would love to see and hear from you! Come join us for the next session scheduled on October 15, 2014, at the Utah County Health Department. 

If you plan on coming, please RSVP so that we know how much material to provide! If you would like to be added to the email invite list, contact us at baby1@unitedwayuc.org