LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Mother-Wise is a grant funded community resource serving Lake County families.

The concept began when a local nurse, Sue Perry, shined light on a gap in community services in Lake County.

Perry took her concern to the Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health (MCAH) Advisory Board for Lake County, which then worked diligently to secure funding for the program before hiring program coordinator, Jaclyn Ley, in February 2010.

Ley has since developed an incredible team of volunteers and staff to support Lake County moms with home visits, and now, weekly playgroups.

The mission of Mother-Wise is to help new moms understand, through home visitation, that they are not alone, and if they get depressed there’s lots of help available. The group's services are available for all new and expecting moms in Lake County.

Mother-Wise is forming weekly playgroups, where new and expecting moms come together with their newborns and discuss the joys and challenges of being a new mom.

The first hour of open discussion is hosted by Laurel Bailey, and focuses on important (but often overlooked) topics like self care, sleep and breastfeeding.

Moms are then invited to participate in a one-hour yoga class, lead by Roslyn Griffin. Griffith draws from years of experience to prove that yoga is one of the best ways for moms to reconnect with their bodies. Never tried yoga before? Not a problem.

Mother-Wise's first playgroup is forming in the city of Clearlake, with more groups planned for the rest of Lake County.

Mother-Wise provides childcare for ages 1-5 during the sessions, with an Early Childhood Education specialist actively engaging kids in age-appropriate activities and games.

They are always seeking more volunteer companions with compassion and experience to share. As one Mother-Wise volunteer said, “If we could all help ONE family it would make such a huge difference.”

All of Mother-Wise's volunteer companions are trained on home-visiting, values, active listening and perinatal mood disorders.

The next volunteer training/orientation will be Aug. 18 through Aug. 20 in Lakeport.

For more information, please call Jaclyn Ley at 707-349-1210 or Vicki at 707-263-6169.