Promise Partnership Utah recently celebrated the graduation of the first cohort of the new Promise Baby & You program. This 9-week workshop series helps parents and caregivers of children ages 0-3 learn strategies to support their child’s growth and development.
In collaboration with Promise South Salt Lake and Davis School District, Promise Baby & You hosts the program at the South Salt Lake Community Center and the Davis Community Learning Center. Program participants meet each Saturday morning to learn from community partners and experts about topics such as their baby’s brain development, developmental milestones, social-emotional learning, health nutrition and safety, and more.
Lucia Miramontes, Early Learning Coordinator for the City of South Salt Lake, is the program facilitator for Promise Baby & You in South Salt Lake. As a former preschool teacher, Miramontes understands the importance of early childhood learning and development.
“There’s just so much to know about early learning childhood,” said Miramontes. “In this program, you’re getting advice from experts.” Miramontes also highlighted the benefit of learning about other resources offered by community partners.
Lexie and Felix are parents to daughters Juniper (4 years old) and Fiji (16 months old). For them, participating in the Promise Baby & You program was an opportunity to refresh their memory on things they knew, and to learn new skills to help them navigate the challenges that come with ever-changing developmental stages.
“Learning is a lifelong thing, and we’re just doing our best to kind of rise to the challenges and gain new skills,” Felix said. “So hearing about something that’s in the community that helps us to gain those skills seemed like a really fantastic opportunity.”
Shanyce, mother to 18-month-old, Rihanna, also graduated as a participant in the first cohort of Promise Baby & You in South Salt Lake. “It helped me to be more confident being a caregiver because being a first-time mom, it’s scary,” she said. “So being in this program, knowing different things that could help you to make sure that you’re giving your child what they need was just amazing.”
Lexie, Felix, and Shanyce were among 23 families who graduated from the South Salt Lake location, and seven families who graduated from the Davis School District location.
Building Confidence, Building Community
In addition to learning from experts and community partners, Promise Baby & You participants build relationships with other new and expecting caregivers in their community.
Lexie and Felix described a significant change in their social lives after becoming parents. “There’s a feeling of isolation I think that goes with having young kids if you don’t have other people in your neighborhood that are parents,” Felix said. “So, coming here just helps us to feel like we’re part of a community and not feel so alone, and that there are resources, and I think that’s really valuable.”
As the primary caregiver of her young daughter, Shanyce enjoyed gaining a network of support through Promise Baby & You . “It’s always good just learning new information and just knowing that there’s the resources out there to help and you’re not in this alone,” Shanyce said. “You have a good support system being here.”
Creating Space for All Caregivers
Promise Baby & You prioritizes removing barriers to participation by offering the program free of cost, and participants have access to meals and free childcare while they attend sessions. The program also offers interpreters for participants who need one. South Salt Lake participants are eligible to receive a my529 college savings account seeded with $500 for their child after attending the full nine weeks of workshops.
The second Promise Baby & You cohort is already underway, and two additional cohorts are scheduled to take place throughout the summer and fall. “I absolutely recommend this program to anyone who can attend,” Felix said. “It’s a great refresher for things we know. It’s a great learning opportunity for things that we hadn’t thought about. This program is just fantastic.”
If you or someone you know is interested in signing up for a future cohort of Promise Baby & You, please follow the registration instructions below.
- South Salt Lake | Sign up in person at the South Salt Lake Community Center, or Contact Lucia Miramontes at lmiramontes@sslc.gov or 385.799.1360
- Davis School District | Fill out this online form or contact Hilda Brown at hibrown@dsdmail.net or 801.402.5161
Written by Jenna Fischer, Content Strategist
