Community ‘Showers’ New or Expecting Parents with Love and Support May 15

by Contributor | April 29, 2026 9:18 am

OSWEGO COUNTY – The Oswego County Health Department joins REACH CNY and other partners to offer a free Community Baby Shower on Friday, May 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Elim Grace Church, 340 W. First St., Oswego. It is open to all new and expecting parents and caregivers to get helpful information and resources about caring for their babies and children.

“Babies don’t come with a manual, so we try to provide extra support for parents and caregivers,” said Amanda Barbera, program coordinator for REACH CNY, Inc. “Our goal is to help them access education, programs and initiatives that have proven effective and will help them all thrive. We encourage anyone expecting or caring for an infant in Oswego County to come out and learn about the many resources available to them within the community.”

The Oswego County Health Department will share details about its free Healthy Families Program, which helps parents build strong bonds with their babies. Staff will be at hand to share the importance of baby tummy time and the effects of using technology with children. Parents will also receive free baby nail clippers, courtesy of the program.

“We recognize the strength and dedication it takes to parent babies and children,” said Betty Dunsmoor, coordinator/manager for the Healthy Families Program. “Every newborn is unique and no two parents are going to have the same experience. It can be a little scary, especially for first-time parents, so we’re here to provide them with extra guidance and reassurance.”

The Healthy Families Program is a voluntary, evidence-based home visiting program that provides no-cost services to pregnant and new parents. It connects them to community resources and shares practical strategies designed to prevent child abuse and neglect as well as promoting positive child development.

Staff work with families to provide education about child development and introduce them to other resources as needed. Referrals may include evaluations to determine developmental delays or disabilities and services to support the specific needs of the child and family as a whole. They also teach parents fun activities to do with their child at home that help support development.

At the community baby shower, parents can learn about important topics like diapering, safe sleep, car seat safety, infant/child development and more. In addition to education and resources, light refreshments and various raffles and giveaway items will be offered to attendees.

The health department will also provide information about other programs such as: Early Intervention, Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs and Preschool 3-5 special education. Details about Preventive programs, including maternal child health, breastfeeding, lead poisoning prevention and immunization programs will be available as well.

The event is supported by the generous contributions of sponsors, including Excellus BlueCross BlueShield as the Gold Level Sponsor and Fidelis Care as the Silver Level Sponsor.

The Community Baby Shower is made possible through a collaboration with Catholic Charities of Oswego County; Family Resource Center of Oswego County; Help Me Grow Oswego County; Integrated Community Planning of Oswego County; Oswego County Breastfeeding Friendly New York; Oswego County Children with Special Needs Program; Oswego County Early Childhood Alliance; Oswego County Health Department; Oswego County Healthy Families; Oswego County Mobility Management Department; Oswego County Opportunities (OCO) Head Start; OCO OPTIONS; OCO Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program; REACH CNY, Inc.; and several other community partners and volunteers.

Registration is encouraged but not required. For more information or to register, go to https://forms.office.com/r/mSXxSLH0Dc[1], visit the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/925958026596901[2] or contact Amanda Barbera at [email protected][3].

For more information on the Oswego County Health Department and its services, visithttps://health.oswegocountyny.gov/[4] or call 315-349-3547.

For more information about REACH CNY including programs and other events, go to https://www.reachcny.org/[5] or call 315-424-0009.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/community/community-showers-new-or-expecting-parents-with-love-and-support-may-15/

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