Business Spotlight: Mommy Connections

By Mathew White

EDMONTON — Learn, connect and socialize.

It may be easier said than done, but one local business has made it their mission to bring together and educate the mothers of the world.

“We want to provide educational and social connections to the modern family,” said Jenaya Buchko, program director with Mommy Connections west Edmonton.

Mommy connections is a locally founded business with the goal of connecting and educating families while introducing them to different programs available in their community.

Background

Carol McBee started Mommy Connections in November 2009 as a way to bring mothers together, and at the same time, educate them on post-natal care.  In January 2010, Buchko enrolled in one of the post-natal classes and said she had a really great experience.

“It’s a good way to connect with other moms and people that live in your community,” said Buchko.

While partaking in the class, McBee informed Buchko that she was looking to expand the business and branch out to other parts of the city.  Being a mother of two and a self-described people person, Buchko said after getting first-hand experience in these classes and seeing how useful they can be, it was only natural for her to get involved.

In May 2010, Buchko launched the Mommy Connections west Edmonton branch.

The business

Originally Mommy Connections only offered an eight-week post-natal class, but due to growing interests, the group has recently introduced pre-natal and a toddler-connections classes.

“There were a lot of moms who took our programs more than one time and they were looking for something else,” said Buchko.

The model Mommy Connections uses is somewhat similar to the Capital Health program, but with more focus on socialization and interaction among the mothers, something Buchko said is just as important as the educational aspect.

“That’s really what moms want to do, they want to talk to the other moms,” said Buchko.

Buckho added that a lot of the moms will stay in contact long after the classes have finished.

In addition to what parents are taking from the designated instructors, Mommy Connections also works in collaboration with a number of local businesses, where community members and leaders are invited to come in and speak on various topics.  For example, a representative from the library might come in and explain the importance of reading to a baby, or perhaps a photographer will stop by and give some pointers on shooting baby photos.

“We try to really bring in the community and I find that everyone supports each other,” said Buchko.  “They support us and we support them.”

“We just want to be the one-stop shop, where you can learn about the different activities, resources, get the information you want and get the support that you need.”

But at end of the day, Buchko said the most important thing people are getting from these classes is they know other parents out there are going through the same thing they are.

“There’s people just like you, who are going through the same thing you are, and it’s OK to feel that way,” said Buchko.

The future

With two new classes being rolled out so recently, Buchko said there isn’t really time to look towards the future, they’re too busy focusing on the present.  She did say, however, that there have been a couple of fathers joining in on the classes, so a “Father Connections” class is something on the back burner right now.

“We’ve come a long way in the last year and a half, I think we just want to make sure we have them (the classes) organized and everything set up to make them as efficient as we can,” said Buchko.