Past Parenting Workshops

“You need to eat four more pieces!” … “Bedtime NOW” …  “NO!  I do it!”  Power struggles are maddening for parents, and not good for children either. Putting these struggles in a developmental context, this workshop will provide strategies for how to encourage your child’s growing need to assert independence while still maintaining your control and authority.  Led by Claire Lerner, a licensed clinical social worker and child development specialist.

Join us for a Zoom discussion about different paths to family building. Our panel will include a fertility doctor, representatives from an adoption agency and the DC foster care system, and a lawyer who facilitates egg and sperm donor and gestational carrier agreements. After the brief formal presentations from each of our panelists, we will spend most of the evening in breakout rooms for more intimate conversations with our panelists and with parents who have built families in a variety of ways, including IVF, egg donation, sperm donation, gestational surrogacy, domestic adoption, international adoption, and foster care. LGBTQ and straight, couples and single parents, Jewish and non-Jewish — are all warmly welcomed. Come prepared to ask questions, get support., and connect to other people on the path to parenthood.

Co-presented by the EDCJCC’s Parenting Center & GLOE – the EDCJCC’s Kurlander Program for GLBTQ Outreach and Engagement

Are you expecting baby #2? Looking to create a community with other second time parents to exchange ideas and find support? This group will meet weekly via Zoom for three weeks to provide a safe space for second time parents-to-be to discuss their experiences and learn from one another. We will explore several topics, including: managing your big kid’s (big!) feelings before, during, and after welcoming the new baby; kid-care and self-care with two; navigating new relationships and new roles; and the complicating factors of Covid-19. Led by Taylor Lerner, Psy.D.   

The group will be kept small so that connections can be fostered easily, even in a virtual space, and also so that in-person outdoor meet-ups can be organized safely if the group wants.

Led by Maria Blaeuer, Director of Programs and Outreach at Advocates for Justice and Education (AJE) and Lauren Siegel, Psy.D, Director of Clinical Services at the Kingsbury Wellness & Learning Group

This interactive three-part series is for DC families of school-aged children (ages 4-12) who suspect that their child might benefit from learning and/or behavioral supports.  We will discuss how to identify developmental red flags, what rights you have in terms of accessing support, how to obtain an evaluation through both public and private channels, what the evaluation process actually looks like, and how to use your evaluation results to acquire support services, including through the DC public school system.  Led by experts in the fields of neuropsychological assessments and education law and advocacy, each part of the series will include a formal presentation followed by lots of time for questions and discussion.

Led by Sarah Marks, founder and president of Nannies by Sarah   

Join us online for the company of other new parents and a relaxed conversation about finding the right kind of childcare for your family.  Sarah Marks, founder and president of Nannies by Sarah, will discuss the pros and cons of different childcare options and the benefits of hiring a nanny. She will also share strategies for hiring a nanny that meets your family’s needs, paying special attention to the complexities of childcare in the age of Covid.  Bring your questions – we’ll spend a lot of time talking through participants’ specific situations.  Babies warmly welcomed!

These days, so much is out of our control, but there is no better time to educate yourself about estate planning for you and your loved ones. Taught by Andrew Friedman, an estate planning attorney and brand-new father himself, this hour-long virtual meeting will cover the basics of estate planning, what documents you need (wills, trusts, powers of attorney), how to protect your family in case of unforeseen circumstances, and how you can execute your Will and estate planning documents even while practicing social distancing. Bring your questions!

Emotional Intelligence is essential for academic and life success, perhaps even more so than cognitive ability.  This involves awareness and understanding of one’s own feelings, skills to manage strong emotions, and the ability to relate to the emotions of others. Join a Kingsbury psychologist (virtually) to learn how parents can coach their children through the turbulent world of childhood emotions to develop stronger emotional awareness, greater self-control, and closer connections with others.

In these tumultuous times, it’s more important than ever to safeguard your financial health in order to protect your family.  Join us in a workshop discussing how to make sure your personal finances are protected through this period and what to do if there is a sudden shock to your finances. We will cover the five steps to knowing if you’re financially “okay,” discuss how to fix aspects of your finances that are not increasing your financial well-being, and give you strategies for how to handle financial shocks. Led by Lori Atwood, CFP, and Kimberly Weihbrecht, of Atwood Financial Planning, LLC

This workshop is for DC families of infants, toddlers and preschoolers who are concerned about their child’s development or who suspect that their child may benefit from early intervention services. We will discuss when and how to reach out to DC’s Strong Start or Early Stages programs; what to expect when you contact them and who is eligible for services; what to do if you don’t agree with the approach/intervention offered by them; and where to find additional resources.

ABOUT AJE – Advocates for Justice and Education (AJE) is the federally designated Parent Training & Information Center for Washington D.C. AJE’s mission is to empower families, youth, and the community to be effective advocates to ensure that children and youth, particularly those who have special needs, receive access to appropriate education and health services. Read more at https://www.aje-dc.org/

It’s a fact of family life that each child is driven to define their individuality and worth within the family system, and that this drive leaves to conflict. This workshop will help parents understand the roots of sibling rivalry and offer approaches to helping siblings ultimately work through the inevitable challenges they encounter in forging their lifelong relationship. It will also address typical challenges of managing multiple children.

Many parents today are terrified of the toilet training process, having heard horror stories from friends about the power struggles and stress they encountered. This workshop will address ways to approach potty learning in a way that is developmentally appropriate, respectful to the child’s growing need to feel in control of his or her body and which frees parents from unnecessary stress and anxiety. The workshop will also address ways to manage typical challenges that arise during the process.

Please join us for an informal virtual discussion about various paths to adopting a child.  Hear from an adoption lawyer, from representatives from an adoption agency and from the DC foster care system, and from parents who have gone through it successfully.  LGBTQ and straight, couples and singles, Jewish and non-Jewish, people of all colors — are all warmly welcomed.  Come with questions!
Co-presented by GLOE – the Kurlander Program for GLBTQ Outreach and Engagement

Led by Dr. Lauren Siegel and Dr. Ann Rowe of the Kingsbury Wellness & Learning Group

Anxious feelings can be an adaptive reaction to unexpected changes that alert us to danger and focus our attention. However, with the many unknowns associated with the pandemic, elevated stress reactions are common in both children and adults and anxiety can become overwhelming. Join Dr. Lauren Siegel and Dr. Ann Rowe to learn more about strategies to improve coping with uncertainty, different manifestations of anxiety for children at different developmental stages, and red flags that indicate more serious concerns about an anxiety disorder.

Just because a professional photographer can’t visit your home at this time, doesn’t mean you can’t learn to capture beautiful, natural light portraits of your newborn in your own home using your phone or camera. Join us online for the company of other new parents and a relaxed conversation about how to take your own newborn photos. Kimberly Goldwein, newborn and family photographer of Kimberly Goldwein Photography, will walk you through the basics of newborn portrait photography, and then assist you virtually in taking photos of your newborns. Q&A is encouraged!

It’s been over two months since we began parenting in the changed landscape of an unprecedented global pandemic.  Working from home while providing childcare, managing our own anxieties while trying to project calm, not knowing when (or if) things will return to normal… all of this is really hard.  Join psychotherapist and mom Meira Ellias via Zoom for a discussion about parenting struggles, particularly managing your and your children’s anxieties, in this time of social distancing.

Led by Rabbi Shira Stutman of  Sixth & I and Miriam Szubin, Director of the EDCJCC Parenting Center,

As if preparing to become a parent wasn’t stressful enough, pandemic precautions bring new uncertainties and require creative thinking around how to build community and get support. Rabbi Shira Stutman of Sixth & I and Miriam Szubin, Director of the EDCJCC Parenting Center, invite you to a wide-ranging workshop for brand-new parents and parents-to-be, touching on subjects like reconfigured relationships, managing uncertainty, Jewish life cycle rituals, and creating virtual and socially distanced support networks. Study Jewish texts and be in community with people who have some of the same questions, even if we don’t have all the answers.

This event is presented in partnership with Sixth & I

Led by Dr. Ann Rowe of the Kingsbury Wellness & Learning Group

Covid-19 has upended our lives and disrupted our sense of time and routine. While these changes have led to stress and increased demands for our kids (and us!), this time also brings freedom and opportunity. Join Dr. Ann Rowe, a clinical psychologist at the Kingsbury Wellness & Learning Group , for a webinar on strategies to help children pursue areas of personal interest and growth.

Led by Jessica Braider, CEO of The Scramble

Stuck at home? Feeling overwhelmed by feeding your family? Are you sick of your kids turning their noses up at the dinner you made? Are you limited to four or five meals that you know your kids will eat? In this workshop we will discuss the reasons behind kids and their limited tastes and we’ll explore ways to make meals (and mealtime) more appealing and less frustrating for your children and yourself. If you’ve got picky eaters, are worried about the nutrition your kids are getting, or just want to connect with other parents who are trying to figure out how to feed their families in the midst of the insanity, this is a community event you won’t want to miss!

This program is brought to you by the Edlavitch DCJCC Parenting Center and JFamily Ambassadors and funded by The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and The United Jewish Endowment Fund.

Join us for a virtual discussion about the benefits of boredom in kids, and how boredom may be something to embrace rather than to ward off.  Dr. Lauren Siegel of the Kingsbury Wellness & Learning Group  will lead the conversation and answer questions about how to help kids entertain themselves without requiring constant activity and entertainment.

With the spread of COVID-19, teams and businesses across the globe have suddenly gone remote with minimal planning.  With schools closed and work open, working parenthood feels different and has become more stressful than ever.  Join executive coach, and founder of Something Major, Randi Braun, for a “Surviving or Thriving While Remote?” virtual workshop.  This workshop will help individuals thrive while balancing personal, family, and business needs in this unprecedented moment.  Drawing on Randi’s practical experience from her executive coaching work, participants will learn:

• Tactics for effective communication and time management, both top down and bottom up
• Strategies for balancing personal and family needs with business needs

Each participant will walk away with a framework for designing an individualized “Thriving While Remote” plan.

In this turbulent and unprecedented global pandemic parents are faced with a changed landscape.  Working from home while providing childcare, managing your own anxieties while trying to project calm.  Join psychotherapist and mom Meira Ellias via Zoom for a discussion about managing your anxieties, and parenting struggles in this time of social distancing.

More information about Meira and her work can be found at www.dctherapeuticservices.com.

Join us for coffee, the company of other new parents, and a relaxed conversation about your baby’s sleep.  Gentle sleep coach Jessica Dodson of Starlight Sleep Coaching will discuss how sleep develops during infancy, why it can be so difficult and what you can do to make it easier for both you and your baby. Learn gentle steps you can take to help shape your child’s sleep from their earliest months and how to avoid common pitfalls that can lead to restless nights. Bring your questions – we’ll spend most of our time talking through participants’ specific situations.   Babies warmly welcomed!

Join us for a candid workshop about the importance of early sexual health education as an issue of safety and as a path to later healthy relationships. Clinical social worker (and mom) Melissa Kilbride will provide simple ways to have conversations with your kids about these topics without shame and discomfort. With over 14 years of clinical experience and specialized training in sex therapy, trauma, and infertility, Melissa believes passionately in the importance of educating young children about their bodies and sex. Walk out the door an “askable parent,” ready to tackle these issues with your children.

Balancing your career and family goals can get really tricky really quickly! Join Randi Braun, Founder of Something Major Coaching, for a workshop exploring how to navigate these simultaneous career and family transitions. Topics will include setting goals (as well as tactics to achieve them), discussing your career path with internal and external stakeholders, strategies for attaining your next promotion or career milestone while expecting, “trying,” navigating fertility challenges, or managing life with small children,  and tactical tips for managing time, stress, and care (both selfcare and childcare) while pursuing your goals.

At a surprisingly young age, children internalize messages from our culture and from their families about body image.  This workshop will focus on steps that parents can take from the beginning to help children and families develop healthy relationships to food and body image, avoid power struggles around food, address picky eating and enhance self-esteem.  Participants will leave with concrete strategies and suggestions for raising healthy and confident children. Facilitated by Alisa Schwartz, PhD and Rachel Engelhart, RD, LPC.