Programs for the Journey to Parenthood
The Edlavitch DCJCC Parenting Center helps people on the path to parenthood find information, connections, and community in what is often an isolating and overwhelming process. LGBTQ and straight, couples and single parents, Jewish and non-Jewish, people of all abilities — all are welcome to take advantage of our programming and resources.
News about our Renovation
The Edlavitch DCJCC is undergoing a major renovation of our building, beginning in the fall of 2018, with completion by September of 2019. The renovation will enhance the Center as a whole and will bring some very exciting changes and improvements to our early childhood programs. During the renovation period, our entire building will be closed. While our programming calendar will be more limited than usual during this time, we will be offering a few parent workshops in other locations around the neighborhood.
We look forward to resuming our robust slate of programming when we are back in our building! See below to get a sense of the kinds of workshops that we have offered in the past few years.
Past Programs
These programs will be offered again when we are back in our building. Email Miriam if you have ideas for other programs you would like us to offer.
Thinking about growing your family or looking for support after struggling to conceive? Join us for an informal discussion about different paths to family building. This symposium will include experts such as a fertility doctor, an adoption expert, a legal expert with experience facilitating egg donor and gestational carrier agreements, a representative from the foster care system, and more! Before and after the panel, there will be a resource fair with additional experts and time for informal connecting and community building. LGBTQ and straight, couples and single parents, Jewish and non-Jewish — are all warmly welcomed. Come prepared to ask questions — and plug in for support.
Please join us for an informal discussion about various paths to adopting a child. Hear from an adoption lawyer, an adoption agency representative, and parents who have gone through it successfully. LGBTQ and straight, couples and singles, Jewish and non-Jewish — are all warmly welcomed. Come with questions!
Many women experience ongoing emotional and physical challenges following a pregnancy loss, and are often not afforded the time and space to process the experience. This workshop is designed to help you connect with your emotional and physical self after pregnancy loss. Our time together will consist of gentle movement, journaling, guided visualization, discussion, and mindfulness, all aimed at helping you to integrate the experience of loss, feel greater ease within your body, and find support and community. Led by Emma Basch, licensed clinical psychologist, and Manisha Tare, occupational therapist and yoga teacher.
Resources:
The Edlavitch DCJCC does not sponsor the organizations listed below. They are provided here for informational purposes only.
Email Miriam if you want to be connected to others who have gone through or are currently dealing with similar experiences, whether fertility issues, pregnancy or infant loss, the adoption process, or anything else. All emails will be kept strictly confidential.
- The Tinina Q Cade Foundation (grants, information, and support for families experiencing infertility)
- Path 2 Parenthood (information and support for family building)
- Resolve (nationwide infertility support and advocacy organization)
- Heal from Within (acupuncture and support groups for fertility)
- Uptown Acupuncture (acupuncture for fertility, pregnancy, and birth support)
- Greater Washington Therapy (support groups and individual therapy)
- New Beginnings Yoga (yoga to support fertility)
- Greater Washington Therapy (support groups and individual therapy)
- New Beginnings Yoga (yoga to support fertility)
- Megan Flood, LICSW (mental health professional with a speciality in family building issues)
- Amanda Shapiro, LICSW (mental health professional with a speciality in family building issues)
- Emma Basch (licensed clinical psychologist specializing in pregnancy, the postpartum period, and perinatal loss)
- Falling Leaf Wellness (mind-body-spirit integration to support fertility, pregnancy loss, prenatal, and postnatal periods)
- Pregancy After Loss Group (free monthly support groups for women who have experienced a perinatal loss and are currently pregnant)
- Emma Basch (licensed clinical psychologist specializing in pregnancy, the postpartum period, and perinatal loss)
- Falling Leaf Wellness (mind-body-spirit integration to support fertility, pregnancy loss, prenatal, and postnatal periods)
- DC Child and Family Services, Kathleen Stines, Adoption and Foster Care Recruiter
- The Barker Adoption Foundation (a nonprofit adoption agency licensed in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia)
- Jennifer Fairfax (adoption attorney)
- Mark T. McDermott, Esq. (adoption attorney and adoptive parent)
- Families for Private Adoptions (support and education to those seeking to build their families through adoption)
- American Academy of Adoption Attorneys
- Adoptions Together
- Path 2 Parenthood (information and support for family building)
- Rainbow Families DC: Maybe Baby Series
- Human Right Campaign: Explore Adoption
- Men Having Babies (surrogacy parenting advice and support for gay men worldwide)
- Hasidah (national organization to increase awareness and provide support for infertility in the Jewish community)
- Uprooted (Jewish communal response to fertility journeys)
- Yesh Tikva (resources and awareness in the Jewish community)
- Hebrew Free Loan Association (interest-free loans for fertility and adoption costs)
- Adas Israel Community Mikvah (Jewish Ritual Bath frequently used for rituals when trying to conceive, undergoing IVF, or converting an adopted child)
- “What IVF Really Feels Like, According to 12 Women Who Have Done It,” from Cosmopolitan,Nov. 2, 2017
- Podcast from the Jewish Women’s Archives “Can We Talk” series about a a Jewish couple who struggled with infertility for years, then decided to hire a surrogate to deliver their children
- Podcast from Mechon Hadar dealing with issues of Jewish law and IVF, in regards to the religion of an egg donor
- Article in altFem on advice for adults currently considering adoption
- Articles in Kveller on fertility struggles
- Article in the Washington Post about fertility struggles in a synagogue community
- Matt & Doree’s Eggscellent Adventure (a podcast chronicling one couple’s fertility journey)
- Infant Adoption Guide Podcast
- NPR Host Steve Inskeep on being an adoptee and an adoptive parent
Please email Miriam if you have suggestions to add to this list, or if you find a link here that is no longer current.
The Edlavitch DCJCC embraces inclusion in all its programs and activities. We welcome and encourage the participation of all people, regardless of their background, sexual orientation, abilities, or religion, including interfaith couples and families.