Early Parent support is vital – why is it so hard to find?
We know there are plenty of message boards, facebook groups, neighborhood community groups, and chat forums that are available for those navigating the world of raising infants and toddlers. We’ve been in them.
We also know that many of these tend to facilitate conversations that devolve quickly into screaming matches, opposing belief systems, “us” vs “them” camps, and one-size-fits-all advice.
So what’s the solution?
We’ve spoken with hundreds of parents and caregivers navigating early parenthood, we’ve conducted experiments in building community, and we’ve developed thousands of pieces of content to assist in the dissemination of high-quality information for parent education purposes.
And we’ve created a place that just might do the trick.
This ain’t your average “moms group”
… and not just because we also have dads, grandparents, professionals working with young children, and other wonderful caregivers participating in the Learn With Less™ Curriculum, both online and in our live, local classes!
Our community upholds a specific set of values.
We believe strongly in the value of diverse experiences, the responsibility of citizenship, and respectful sharing of ideas – not beliefs.
Our community is based around the idea that all of us raising tiny humans are engaged in a grand experiment. Some days (or moments!) we “get it right,” and some days we feel like failures.
We are able to dust ourselves and get back up because we provide an extended hand to each other.
We offer ideas and experiences that have worked for our own families and in our practices. We strive to accept that each child, each family, each set of cultural values, each person’s limitations – are unique.
We share experiences. We do not give advice.
We post about our own experiences (about anything and everything!!!) – what we’re going through, what we’ve tried, what worked or didn’t work.
We reply to such posts with empathy, resources, tricks that worked for our own families.
We strive to uphold the values of inclusivity and good citizenship, never passing on our own beliefs or advice – only ideas and experiences.
Mutual responsibility
We believe that we are all responsible for ensuring that each of us upholds these values, and speak up (loudly and respectfully, modeling to each other the same behavior we try to model to our own children!!!) when our fellow members fail to uphold them.
What is the Learn With Less™ Curriculum?
When I want to learn something new, need good ideas or strategies to support my little ones, or just need a friendly face (or hysterical gif) to get me through the day…
I open my computer or grab my phone (yup, there’s even an app) and hop into a discussion or event in the members area of the Learn With Less™ Curriculum.
This is a virtual space where I feel nurtured and get to support others along the way in this parenting journey.
It’s a place I get to brainstorm, laugh, cry, learn, share, and experience the kind of community that I only dreamt was possible. All from the comfort of my own home.
There’s stuff there for me, and there’s content that helps me engage with my little ones.
There are brand new (and still expecting!) parents, seasoned ones, caregivers and professionals of all kinds (and from all around the world), and a wealth of diverse experiences.
We all have at least one thing in common: we are on this adventure of raising tiny humans, and we don’t want to do it in isolation.
We want access to high quality resources and a community that values mutual respect, self-education, and experimentation.