Sammamish Families: Find Your Plateau Parent Network

If you are expecting your first child or already parenting an infant or toddler, you may benefit from knowing about several groups and activities on the Eastside that provide lasting connections, fun and support to parents of kids in the same age range.

Redmond’s Debbie Olson has one son Aiden, who is almost 3 years old. She is a stay at home mom and her husband is a firefighter. She has been involved with several "mom and tot" groups, including ones at Evergreen Hospital and the Redmond Toddler Group. She also has built her "mommy network" by taking Aiden to classes at Great Play, Kindermusik and the Orange Blossom Society.

Olson says that the best benefit of belonging to mom and tot groups has been "all the friends we’ve made. We have both made many friends that we still see regularly even though we are not in classes with them anymore. Another great benefit has been support for me as a mom to be able to talk to other moms about what we’re going through with our kiddos and how we’re dealing with it."

Jennifer Flipovich, a Redmond mom of two and fellow Redmond Toddler Group member, also started out in the parent and baby classes at Evergreen Hospital.  "There I met a group of women with newborns about once a week for over a year," she said. "Though those meetings have tapered off, we are still in contact via email and meet occasionally."

She added: "The parent baby classes at Evergreen Hospital offered a safe and comfortable place to learn about everything from community activities to developing a strong and lasting bond with your child."

Flipovich said that she also has gained valuable support from being part of “mom and tot” groups including the Redmond Toddler Group. “Just knowing other moms and being able to talk with them at least once per week about what’s going on, the highs and lows, with our respective children, has been a real comfort for me. I have gotten some great tips and advice on how to deal with specific situations," she said.

"For example, my daughter was having difficulty leaving the park. I would give her a three-minute warning, two-minute warning, a one-minute warning and still, she would cry when we had to leave. The instructor and a couple of moms said that they have their children say 'goodbye' to all of the playground equipment when leaving. Sure enough, this worked like a charm."

Another lasting benefit Flipovich said is finally feeling connected to more people. "I’m also really happy that I can just say 'hello' to more people in the community now. I see the moms I know at the stores, parks, etc. and it helps me feel like I belong to the community more to be able to chat with them outside of class," she said.

Some Options for Groups On and Near the Sammamish Plateau

• Parent-Baby Groups at Evergreen Hospital

Evergreen Hospital offers a number of “parent and baby” groups including a specialized support group for moms with post-partum depression. If you delivered at Evergreen, you can attend the age "zero to 3 month" group for free.  More information is available on the Evergreen website.

• Program For Early Parent Support (PEPS)

PEPS is an extremely popular support group that meets in a volunteer facilitator’s home. There are many PEPS groups on the Eastside, including Sammamish. The group begins when babies are 4 months old or younger and meets once a week for 12 weeks. Groups often continue to stay connected, even after those former babies have headed off to kindergarten.

The challenging part with PEPS is you must attend a monthly orientation and then register ideally when you are expecting or before your baby is 4 months old. Orientations on the Eastside are offered on the second Tuesday of each month at 12:30 pm at the Little School in Bellevue at 2812 116th Ave. NE. The next orientation will be March 8. More information about PEPS is available on the group's website.

• Redmond Toddler Group

For over 35 years the Redmond Toddler Group, also known as "Toby school" in honor of its teddy bear mascot,  has offered fun, friendship and support for families with infants to 36-month year old toddlers.

The parent education cooperative program is offered in conjunction with the Lake Washington Technical College and meets in the college’s facility near the entrance to Marymoor Park off East Lake Sammamish at 6505 176th Ave. NE in Redmond.

It's just minutes from the Plateau. Most parents register in the spring for fall enrollment but there are also openings in on-going classes throughout the year.   You can learn more by visiting RTG’s website.

And you can meet RTG families and teachers in person by attending the group’s annual spring fundraiser carnival, held this year on Saturday, March 19. It begins at 9:00 am at Evergreen Junior High in Redmond at 6900 208th. Lots of fun activities will be offered for kids ages 1 to 5, including a cake walk, games with prizes, face painting and kid-pleasing food. Family admission is $5 at the door and activity tickets are two for $1.

Parent and Tot Activities Near the Sammamish Plateau

• Kindermusik

Kindermusik programs offer a great way to enjoy music with your baby or toddler and meet other parents. The acclaimed Musik Nest in Issaquah's Gilman Village offers classes near the Plateau and you can try a class for free. In Redmond, Kindermusik classes are offered at Studio 3 Music at Redmond Town Center.

• Orange Blossom Society

Meet up with other moms at Redmond’s Orange Blossom Society and enjoy a variety of fun enrichment activities and classes including a parent and tot art class for parents with a child age 16 months and older. A schedule of classes and drop in play times and fees is available on the group's website.

• Great Play

Great Play in Redmond offers parent and tot classes for babies and toddlers that develop motor skills and offer fun group play activities. Schedule for the Redmond location is here.

• Discover Yoga

Discover Yoga above Mills Music in downtown Redmond offers “infant and me” classes where you can bring your newborn with you as long as he or she isn’t crawling yet. More information is on the studio's website.

• Stroller Strides

Stroller Strides is a parent and child fitness program offered around the Eastside, including on the Plateau. The Sammamish class meets at the Pine Lake Club. More information is on the website.