Thirty five early childhood professionals came together at the beginning of October for an Early Childhood mixer. It was truly a mixer with representatives from home, center, and school based programs, Children’s Integrated Services, the Parent Child Center, the Vermont Department of Health, Rise VT, 211, Let’s Grow Kids, and more.
In addition to building relationships, we had a short presentation about the programs within Children’s Integrated Services (CIS) and small group conversations about available resources and those that are lacking in our community.
There were many connections made during the mixer, but one stands out in particular. A question was asked about how to navigate the challenges of breastfeeding after returning to work. Our Maternal and Child Health coordinator was able to provide information to the whole group about the Breastfeeding Friendly Employer Project. Since the mixer, the employee and the employer are using community resources to support breastfeeding at work.
At the next mixer, there will again be good food, childcare, and swag bags, but hopefully early childhood professionals will return to continue to build relationships and collaborate to strengthen supports for children and families.
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this a successful event and to co-sponsors, the Windham Early Childhood Educators Coop and the Winston Prouty Center for Child and Family Development.
