New Playgroup for Ages 0-2 at Zimmer Preschool in Basking Ridge Serves Local Parents and Babies 

Parents with young children zero to two have a new resource for connecting to other moms and babies beginning Tuesday Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. at Zimmer Preschool on Valley Road in Basking Ridge. The playgroup will meet the 3rd Tuesday of every month, in a brightly lit spacious room, with comfortable couches for the parents, toys for the tots, and a staff person on hand to assist and facilitate discussion among playgroup members.

The groups will be led by Rina Davis, a social worker and Director of Outreach for Zimmer Preschool. She is excited about the chance to meet with and support new mothers and fathers. She well remembers the earlier years at home with her daughter as being full of joy and the pleasant tasks of building a new family. But she also remembers a desire to connect with others, and the accompanying difficulty of doing so. “Many people I know have no family members nearby to lean on when they have very small children. People don’t have the same access to community as perhaps my mother’s generation did. There are usually no neighbors standing around chatting while their kids play in the yard, there are very few opportunities for casual connection, since life is so busy for so many people.”

Discussion topics will include life at home with a newborn, integrating your older child into the changed family scene while taking care of an infant, forming community with other parents and other child-related issues according to the interests of the group.

“My hope is that this group will be a source of fun, connection and support. New parents can feel isolated when there is infrequent connecting with other adults. You forget how good it would feel to socialize with people outside your home, even just for a few minutes. We look forward to meeting more of our local moms or dads, and providing a social outlet.”

Zimmer Preschool is located at 3048 Valley Road in Basking Ridge. The playgroup will meet on the third Tuesdays of the month, from 10-11:15, on the second floor. There is no charge to attend. Please enter through the side (lower) entrance. RSVP RinaD@zimmerpreschool.com or call Rina Davis at 908-604-8844 x 125 for more information.