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Our Founding....

Parents' Place began in 1982; according to one of its founding members, Child Birth Educator Jeannie Zinn. Chevron Shuman, also a Child Birth Educator with WVU, received a grant to be used for Parents' Place in conjunction with Parents Anonymous. Thus, Parents' Place began as an outreach group for frustrated parents.

Beginning with only a few members, Parents' Place quickly blossomed to twenty members. Meetings were held in the Sunday school room of the Presbyterian Church downtown. The two hour meetings were loosely structured. While the children played together, parents discussed parenting issues such as discipline, diets, toilet training, etc. Occasionally, students majoring in child development attended the meetings to play with the children. Snacks were provided on an alternating basis by the parents.

In comparison, today's Parents' Place has approximately ninety members and is run by approximately 25 volunteer board members. Not only has Parents' Place remained a non-profit, non-denominational support group for parents, it now offers preschool classes for children 1 to 5 years of age. Parents' Place is held four days a week. Most members attend 1 to 2 days per week. Children attend a two hour class, while parents meet in the Parents' Room with their infants. Parents' Place staffs five wonderful teachers, some who have been former members and who have taught our preschool for 15 years.

Snacks continue to be provided by members on an alternating basis. For the Parents' Room, scheduled programing is now provided with guest speakers from our community. A variety of topics are offered, such as parenting issues (pediatric health, discipline, home schooling, etc.), personal growth (career exploration, stress management, nutrition, etc.) and general information (local attractions, community activities, etc.).

Parents' Place also organizes and schedules activities for both parents and children. For the children, there is The Easter Egg Hunt at Krepps Park, WVU Farm Visit, apple picking, bumper bowling, Annual Christmas Play (produced and performed by parents) and Hovatter's Wildlife Zoo Visit. For the parents, there is Parents' Night Out (meeting at local restaurants or members' homes), December Ornament Exchange and Teacher Appreciation Dinner.

In addition, Parents' Place participates in community activities such as The Gabriel Project. Parents' Place also has a very active Fundraising committee. All members actively participate in two to three fundraising activities per year. This allows us to continue to run keeping membership fees as low as possible. All in all, Parents' Place remains a great place for both parents and children to learn, grow and make friends!