There’s a common refrain among parents when it comes to what it takes to raise a child: “It takes a village.”

The Jewish Connection Network took that statement to heart in the founding of the new Shalom Village parenting program, which looks to provide new parents with the comfort and structure of a group setting made up of people experiencing the same things they are.

At Shalom Village sessions, parents can ask questions, vent, give advice and generally just be comfortable while surrounded by people who are in the same place that they are, said Jewish Connection Network Manager of Family Engagement Lindsay Gaister Montague.

“We basically started offering the program once people had already had their babies, so that way they could bring their babies with them when they were really in the trenches of early parenthood. [They can] ask the questions for the situations they’re currently experiencing, along with other parents who were experiencing the exact same things at the same life stage. It really helps people feel comfortable,” she said.

Shalom Village is designed for parents of newborns and children up to 24 months old, with sessions taking place Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. It’s not just a chance to sit around and discuss, though — there are dinners, speakers, learning materials and a closing event.

Gaister Montague said that the goal of the class isn’t necessarily to provide answers to the sort of questions one might encounter at other classes centered on early childhood parenting. She said, in her experience, there are plenty of classes like that, and this one is intentionally designed to be different.

“I took parenting classes before I had my first child, but those were basically more technical classes on how to go through the process of childbirth. I never had the opportunity to have a class like this, and it’s something that I know I would have benefited greatly from. I have heard from people who have done other baby classes like this [who have said] that the people they meet in this type of class become lifelong friends, so they and their children are able to continue these relationships forever, and it’s so meaningful to be able to build community during this time in your life,” she said.

There have already been a few sessions of Shalom Village, and Gaister Montague said that they have been successful in not just getting parents information they need, but creating a lasting community that extends beyond the walls of the Jewish Connection Network. They are co-hosted by Gaister Montague and Julie Wolff, and funded in part by The Associated and the Meyerhoff New Family Innovation Fund.

“What we’ve seen that has come out of this cohort is the most beautiful sense of community,” she said. “Being that this started during the time of the High Holidays, we saw that people started inviting each other to their own High Holiday meals and to their services at their synagogues, and so the sense of community that has been building through this cohort is so beautiful and authentic and genuine, and it goes far beyond just learning about Baby 101.”

Gaister Montague said for her, helping create the Shalom Village is about giving other young parents a chance to learn the things that can only come from those who have and are experiencing them too. Sometimes, the hardest part can be finding the village that you need, which is why Jewish Connection Network went ahead and founded one.

“Parenting was never meant to be done alone. It takes a village, and so that’s what we did: we created a village for parents to come and be vulnerable and feel safe and comfortable going through this experience with each other,” she said.

aguckes@midatlanticmedia.com