The First Years Caring Collective is a group of volunteers who recognize the importance of supporting newborns and their families in their attunement and well-being through their first weeks, months and years. We see this as the heart of a healthy community. 

Join the Collective!
 – Sign up to receive news and updates by contacting cortesfsc at gmail dot com.
– Support a new family with your time and energy as a volunteer!
 – Donate to support this important work!

As a collective we aim to offer services and support to improve the experience of perinatal health and diminish experiences of isolation and the incidence of post-partum depression. Supporting families to thrive rather than just survive these first years takes far more support than commonly acknowledged these days.

We offer care for families from pregnancy through the first 3yrs, with a special focus on the 4th trimester (first 3 months following birth) through the first year.

Values

We Value Secure Attachment – The physiological imperative for secure attachment is cross cultural. All humans are primed to thrive in this connection. Secure attachment between newborns and their families happens when there is a calm, consistent and attuned response to the newborns needs from their primary caregivers. Secure attachment shapes a child’s relationship to themselves and the rest of the world by laying down the groundwork or answering these basic questions on a physiological level: Am I Safe? Am I Loveable? Am I seen?

Secure attachment supports healthy development
-immune system development
-neuro endocrine system stress response
-heart, lung, brain development
-overall nervous system regulation including attention and concentration
-ability to create satisfying and coherent relationships

We Value Accessibility and Inclusivity – We celebrate the diversity of all families and support people from all orientations, abilities, ethnicities, gender identities, religions, socio-economic statuses and family structures. We seek to offer compassionate, practical and non-judgemental care at a grassroots level. We are committed to promoting a diverse and just environment for all, in which language, resources, and practices encourage inclusion. Please reach out to us if you see room for us to grow.

We Value Reciprocal Relationships – We are a grassroots collective that seeks to lean into participation at a local level. We invite the wisdom and care that can come from elder generations and diverse community members. This can be rewarding and generative for both the families and the volunteers that support them.

We Value Education – We understand that new research and the recovery of older wisdom often bring valuable knowledge that can inform this time of life. We value evidence-based ways of supporting infant health and development.

We Value Witnessing – We understand that there is a long and damaging history of silence surrounding trauma and difficulties that occur in the perinatal and post-partum period. We believe in the healing power of sharing personal stories in a safe space.

Offerings

We offer care and support to families from pregnancy to 3yrs with special focus on the 4th trimester (first 3 months following birth) through the first year of life.

We Offer Practical Care – practical support so newborns and their families can rest in their nest!
– light housework(firewood, laundry, meals, light cleaning)
– help preparing home for return with new baby post birth
– mealtrain set up and follow through
– errands
– help getting to appointments
– babysitting an older sibling (s) to give time for infant/parent calm connection, or sleep

We Offer Social Connection – We are social mammals who thrive in connection. Isolation can be a major contributing factor to postpartum depression. The work of caring for a newborn can be unrelenting and at times overwhelming..we offer:
– tea/visiting/social time
– get out for a walk together
– baby holding esp. so parents can care for themselves
– connection to willing peers who may have dealt with a specific issue in an effort to share knowledge bases at a community level

Resources

We are collecting local, regional and online resources to share with young families.

Contact Us

If you are a family needing support or if you are a community member who wants to support a family, please be in touch!

first.years.cortes at gmail.com