LISTINGS FOR CHICAGOLAND PARENTS & CAREGIVERS
OF BABIES, TOTS AND PRESCHOOLERS
BIRTH TO FIVE YEARS 0 - 5

The Parent Circle (Evanston and surrounds)
The Parent Circle is a non-sectarian and nonprofit organization for families in Evanston and the surrounding area with infants and young children. Founded in 1974 and run by the parent members, our goal is to promote a positive family experience through education, support, and social interactions. We provide our members with playgroups, workshops, family activities, and a monthly newsletter. We currently have a membership of over 100 families with young children seeking to learn, share, and enrich their family experience. Get involved, get together and make parenting more fun!  847.604.0989. Email: info@theparentcircle.com
 Family Network Parent/Child Center (Highland Park)
Education, social & support programs for parents & children (newborn through age 4). Tel:  847-433-0377, 330 Laurel Ave. Drop-in center on Tues.-Fri. from 9:30-11:30am.

www.LakeCountyMoms.com (Lake County)
Tel: 847-909-3455
Online resource center & support network for moms living in Lake County, Illinois. Resources range from child care to professional services. Moms use Forums to make new connections.

www.lakesidemomsandtots.org (Lake Zurich & Barrington)
Social and educational outlet for parents, caregivers and children in Lake Zurich and surrounding areas. Visit online schedule to view events each month. 

Learning Together
 www.LTPEC.org (Chicago & Schaumburg)
Tel: 847-567-5873
Parent coaching  & classes (on discipline, food, sleep & toilet training), Montessori based parent-infant programs, tips by email.

www.mchenrycountymoms.com (McHenry County)
Tel: 847-909-3455 - online resource center & support network for moms living in McHenry County, Illinois.

Moxie Moms (Naperville)
888-694-6667
303-413-0852
info@moxie-moms.com
Welcome to the Naperville Area chapter of Moxie Moms! Join us to enjoy fun events for moms & kids, and to save a ton of money on products & services from our great partners. Join us!

The MOMS Club
www.momsclub.org
Aimed at mothers-at-home. Offers child activities, playgroups, monthly meetings, mom’s night out etc.

• Bolingbrook East: klangseth@gmail.com Kim
  Meets: 1st Tues at 10am,
  Firestation #4, 1111 W. Boughton Rd.

• Bolingbrook West: 630-842-9722 Shelly
  Meets: 1st Tues at 10am,
  Firestation #5 at 119th & Kings

• Carpentersville: 847-989-2782 Beth

• Gurnee East: 847-830-3994 Carly

• Gurnee West: 847-223-3127 Sangeeta

• Schaumburg East: 630-539-1663 Laura

• Schaumburg West: 630-876-8562 Neha

• Woodstock area: 815-301-5845 Claudia

Moms Plus (Arlington Heights)
Tel: 847-398-EDNA www.momsplus.org
Mom & tot group for parishioners of St. Edna’s and local families. Weekly!

Mothers & More
www.mothersandmore.org
National not-for-profit organization for women at all stages of motherhood. Providing support, education and advocacy.

• DuPage County: 630-415-0421
  Meets: 1st Wed & 3rd Tues

• Near West: 708-205-7007

• N. Chicago & near north suburbs
  check website for contact
  Meets: 1st Wed & 3rd Thurs at Rush North Shore, Skokie

• Joliet: 815-828-0618 voice mail, meets 1st Thurs & 3rd Wed at Crest Hill Library.

• Oswego: 630-783-0535, meets 2nd Mon & 4th Wed at Boulder Point, Oswego Park
  District.

North Aurora Mothers Club (North Aurora)
www.northauroramothersclub.org
Committed to improving the social, emotional, educational and physical well-being of the children and families in our area. We offer charitable aid and public-spirited events providing education, fellowship and support. Meets 1st Tues 7:30pm ex June, July, Aug. at Valley Community Bank, 75 S. Randall Rd.

The Northside Parent's Network
1218 W. Addison, Chicago, 60613 (312)409-2233
http://www.npnparents.org/contactus.asp is through the website
VISION - To become a not-for-profit organization of neighborhood networks whose members are parents that provide support for each other and share resources and experiences that will better enable them to manage the common daily challenges faced by families everywhere.
MISSION - To be a neighborhood organization dedicated to offering families information, resources and community support. To become the established gateway for parents who want to contribute to and take part in a powerful community of interest that is energized by their own spirit of volunteerism.

Some of the groups they organize:

New Moms Groups
Multiples Groups
Attorney Moms Groups
Working Moms Groups
Club Socials by zip code 
Parents Over 40
Developmental Differences 
 

Northwest Mommy & Me (Northwest Suburbs)
Tel: 847-202-4872 (contact Mary)
www.geocities.com/momsclubarlingtonheights
Local group of stay-at-home mothers and their children who meet together for weekly activities such as play groups, kids activities, park days, lunch, story times, etc. We also offer mom's nights out and other adult activities/get-togethers in the evenings.

(PACES) Parent and Child Education and Support Organization
Tel: 630-916-3190
P.O. Box 13, Lombard, Illinois 60148-9998 > 630-835-4111

Parenting support organization for parents of newborn to pre-school age children. Offers family enrichment through friendship, support & education with playgroups, moms or dads nights out, babysitting co-ops, fun outings. See website for contact information on our six regional groups in the Chicago area.

The Parent Connection (Crystal Lake, Cary, McHenry)
Tel: 215-352-1762
Weekly playgroups for children from birth through age 6, babysitting co-op, monthly newsletter, seasonal parties and fun family outings. Meets last Friday at US Bank in Crystal Lake.

parents who care  (NW Suburbs)
PO Box 68631
Schaumburg, IL 60168
Phone: 847-604-4582
E-mail: pwc@parentswhocare.org
Yahoo! Group (for current members only):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/parentswhocarechicago/
Yahoo! Group E-mail (for current members only): parentswhocarechicago@yahoogroups.com
Parents Who Care (PWC) is an education and support group for parents and their young children. Operated by member volunteers, this not-for-profit organization was formed in 1976 and is centered in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.
Parents Who Care is designed to meet the needs of infants through preschool-age children and their parents. In addition to providing support to parents, PWC offers many affordable events and activities that are fun ways to stimulate and encourage the creative exploration and imagination of children.
Through Parents Who Care, you can meet other parents and children and form lasting friendships, share parenting ideas and information, and discover new adventures for you and your children. Parents Who Care welcomes stay-at-home and working parents. We invite you to bring PWC into your family's developmental years.
Annual membership dues are $25.00 and entitle you to a monthly newsletter and admission to all PWC programs and activities, subject to space limitations.

Russian parent network (Chicago & NW Suburbs)
Tel: 847-219-8689
Forum, ideas and information exchange for Russian-speaking parents in Chicagoland area.

step by step pta/ (NW DuPage County)
Tel: 630-483-0371 (Ask for Shannon), web:
Helping enrich children's lives through fun activities such as playgroups, parties, field trips, mom's night out & much more!

moms meet up (Vernon Hills)
Tel: 847-646-8078 (ask for Vennittah)
Meet friendly local moms to talk about kids and have fun! Come to a Moms Meetup to share experiences, find advice, give support and make new friends. Meets Wed at 4:30pm & Fri at 10am.

Kids Masti Club!
Hoffman Est., Schaumburg, Streamwood
847-931-0310 Aditie
groups.yahoo.com/group/chicagoplaygroup/
Let’s get together! to play, learn, connect, support & keep alive Indian Culture. We aim to be a close knit community with weekday and weekend playgroups for kids ages 1 and up. Meets Tuesday mornings & Thursday evenings.

Parenting Talks
 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2007
Join Megan Faure, Author of Baby Sense for a wine&cheese at the South African Consulate.
All parents are welcome to attend this talk by best selling South African author Megan Faure on the differences and common ground between parenting in Africa and the USA. Enhancing development and establishing sleep are the focus of the tips Faure gives in this talk.
Date: Wednesday, March 14
Time: 6:00-8:00 PM
Venue: South African Consulate
200 South Michigan Avenue, 6th Floor Chicago IL
(Corner of E. Lake & N. Michigan) Take orange/pink/green/brown/purple 'L'to Randolph St. Stop
RSVP: By Tuesday, March 13
For more details contact: Esther Filmore
(312) 939-7929
Shelley Nelson
(217) 390-2953

Parenting Books

Parenting that Works: Building Skills that Last a Lifetime (Paperback)
by Edward R. Christophersen, Susan L. Mortweet

(5 customer reviews)

Mel Levine, author of A Mind at a Time
"Parenting That Works is a book that works! It is teeming with workable advice that will help parents everywhere."

Book Description
Being a parent is probably the most important and the most difficult job many of us will ever have. Of course, there’s a lot more to it than simply raising a child who obeys and gets good grades. In this comprehensive guidebook, clinical psychologist Dr. Edward Christophersen and child psychologist Dr. Susan Mortweet provide parents with effective ways to raise a child to become a happy, compassionate, and confident adult.

Drawing on nearly forty years of combined professional experience, the authors explain that from babyhood through the school years, children learn by observing and interacting with their parents. In these clearly written, easy-to-follow chapters, Dr. Christophersen and Dr. Mortweet offer practical advice, explain proven strategies, and identify the fundamental skills parents need to encourage positive behavior without the need for punishment.

Little People: Guidelines for Common Sense Child Rearing (Paperback)
by Edward R. Christophersen, David Graves, Mark Walter (Illustrator), Eli Reichman (Photographer) "If you are already a parent, you can probably remember the first time your baby smiled at you..." (more)
Key Phrases: orderly home routines, independent play skills, job grounding, Kansas City, Commonsense Guide, Westport Publishers (more...)

(6 customer reviews)

Book Description
Little People is a positive book meant to help parents get the most out of the years they spend with the little people they bring into the world and help them to grow up happy and healthy. The entire book is built around guidelines that will help you encourage your child's emotional development and self-esteem. Dr. Christophersen emphasizes "time-in," a procedure which, by it's very nature, is far more important than any form of discipline.

From the Publisher
Now in it's Fourth Edition (and 10th Printing), Little People has been a very popular book on parenting. Written by a well known clinical psychologist, Little People is often recommended by pediatricians and family physicians. The Written Handouts of Dr. Christophersen's recommendations, that are printed in the last Section of the book such that they can be photocopied or removed from the book, have been a very popular feature of all of his books.

Parenting Classes

Smart Love Parenting Center
Chicago, Illinois
773.665.8052
smartloveparent@aol.com
We are a non-profit organization founded by parents and child development
professionals to provide parents with practical parenting strateies and growth-
promoting answers to parenting concerns. Our ultimate goal is to help
parents more deeply enjoy parenting so that they and their children can more
fully enjoy life!

Essential Motherhood
Services for Mothers and Babies
www.Essentialmotherhood.com

Essential MOtherhood aims to provide support, education and skills to families and caregivers to imporve their abilities to support and foster the needs of infants and young children.
Training, Background and Experience of providers: Infant Massage Instructor, Childbirth Educator, Postpartum Doula, Infant Toddler educator, parent educator
How do kids and families sign up? Call Essential MOtherhood or email

Parenting Websites