Get To Know Sarah McConnachie of The Parent Collective
- Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in town?
I moved to the US back in 2012 from England with my now husband. Initially our adventure was
only meant to be for 9months but 10 years, 3 moves, 3 kids, couple of dogs, chickens and a
horse later we are still here! We moved to Ridgefield at the beginning of 2020 right before
everything shut down. We were so excited to immerse ourselves in the wonderful community
and explore everything the town had to offer.
- How many children do you have? Ages?
I am fully fledged boy mom with a 7, 5 and 2year old! Needless to say, our house is pretty busy!
- Pease tell us more about The Parent Collective and how you started this business.
The Parent Collective (TPC) offers prenatal childbirth education classes which are designed to
help couples establish friendships with others living local to them and due at the same time, all
the while avoiding any judgements and agendas. Our hope is that couples taking a TPC series
will cultivate a social network through weekly participation, forge a robust prenatal/parental
support system and of course, gather playmates for the little ones on the way.
I came across The Parent Collective after I had my 2nd son. I love the mission of building a
community before your baby even arrives. TPC was inspired by the NCT (National Childbirth
Trust) of the UK. Being a Brit, many of my friends took these classes and have their NCT mom
friends. This is something I longed for during that postpartum period.
- What advice would you give to expecting parents or parents getting ready to welcome another
new baby into the family?
Whether it’s your first or you’re a seasoned parent, welcoming a new life into the family can be
daunting. Don’t feel ashamed to reach out if you need help. Whether it’s to a friend who is
simply offering to cook you a meal or a seasoned professional. There are so many wonderful
resources available in the area that there is no need to try and struggle through alone. My hope
is to not only be able to provide the information and community through our classes but to
provide connections to the wonderful local resources that we have in the area.
- How has this community been instrumental in developing this initiative/business venture and
how can others help to support your mission?
Ridgefield is all about community (which is why we moved here!) The community aspect of
parenthood is so important and quite often missing in those early days. I am hoping that I can
help fill that void through bringing our Childbirth Education Series to the area. I would be so
grateful if readers could help by sharing with extended networks. There are so many expecting
parents who don’t have access to these important resources.
For more information on the Enchanted Garden series beginning in March, please visit us at http://www.theparentcollective.com