The Community Center in the Meadow Mall is starting a Parent Support Group for parents of pre-school to second grade-age children. The Parent Support Group will start on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 10 a.m. to noon, and will continue every other Saturday through April 2017. Free childcare with crafts and snacks will be provided for each session, so that parents (and grandparents) can relax and enjoy learning from one another. There will be a raffle at each session for a fantastic food gift basket from Hannaford. If you know of any parents or grandparents of young children who would enjoy two mornings a month devoted to their needs, while their kids are being well cared for, along with free snacks, great information, and wonderful tips, please contact Liz Lussier at 207-633-1162 or the Community Center at 207-633-9876.

The group meetings will be led by behavior specialist Liz Lussier, and other topic experts from Healthy Lincoln County, Lincoln County Dental, Healthy Kids, Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, and other local organizations. Topics to be discussed will include: positive discipline methods, positive communication, good nutrition on a budget, sleep requirements at each age, how to help your child get enough sleep, maintaining good oral hygiene, safe storage of drugs, and how to encourage your child to read.

This program is funded by the Boothbay Region Health & Wellness Foundation’s Community Center and the Maine Community Foundation and is staffed by caring and experienced local volunteers and Red Cross certified babysitters. Hannaford supermarkets have generously offered to supply 16 gift baskets — one to be raffled off at each of the 16 sessions. Other merchants may also be providing topic-specific goodies for our local young families.