Frequently Asked Questions

Since 1983, PEPS has been connecting families in parent peer-support groups and now offers programs for expectant parents and parents of newborns, infants, adolescents, and teens, plus affinity groups for families sharing identities that intersect with their identity as a parent. Through PEPS Groups, parents create strong, healthy families with concrete support, social connections, and parenting resources. To learn more about us, read our About PEPS page on our website.

Newborn and Second Time Around groups are neighborhood-specific groups for parents with babies 2-20 weeks old that meet virtually or in pre-selected community spaces or homes. Baby Peppers groups are for a parent with a baby 5-12 months old. Baby Peppers groups meet virtually or in pre-selected community spaces. If your baby is on the cusp of 20 weeks, you may join either Newborn or Baby Peppers depending on what's available in your area. Second Time Around is for families with a new infant who have one or more older children in addition.

Visit our In-Person PEPS groups page to learn more.

Some Groups are for one parent only attendance (same parent each week), while others are for either one parent or more to attend (same parents each week), and often those groups are mainly couples in attendance. The curriculum for Groups does not differ based on the number of parents who attend. Under the "Who Attends" column, you can see the specifics for your group.

Four-week PAT Groups focus on one specific topic, with each week exploring a specific theme.

Nine-week PAT Groups cover a wider range of topics and themes. There are 4 consecutive weeks of discussions on pre-determined topics, an opportunity to meet in -person, followed by 4 additional consecutive weeks with topic discussions selected by the group participants.

Both session lengths are offered virtually and are open to solo parents and caregivers, couples, and co-parents caring for children aged 10 - 19 years living in our service region. Also, adult participants attend without adolescents and teens in attendance, with up to 10 families participating in each group.

PEPS Groups are offered to families living from Marysville to Kent and Seattle to Snoqualmie and many areas in between. Connecting the Expecting and PAT Groups are offered online and include families from around the Puget Sound; these Groups are not neighborhood-based. There are a limited number of these groups offered in person in the Seattle area.

View our neighborhood map.

For further information on group registration, including assistance in determining which area to sign up for, please contact us at registration@peps.org.

For Connecting the Expecting Groups, please select a start date in your third trimester, or if you are adopting, a start date within a few months of your adoption date.

For Newborn and Second Time Around Groups, select a date that is 2-20 weeks after your baby’s due date.

For Baby Peppers, your baby should be 5-12 months old when the group begins.

For PAT Groups, you can select the group based on your child's age or the schedule that works best for you. if you have children spanning across the 10-19 age range, you may select any group that works for you.

Create a PEPS profile and sign in to register.

• For Newborn, Second Time Around, and Baby Peppers, begin at the Find a Group tab.
• For Newborn and Second Time Around Groups, select the appropriate Group type, then choose the neighborhood you live in to find a group. You may also want to check nearby neighborhoods or "Entire Puget Sound region". You may also use the Meeting Format or Time of Day filters.
• For Baby Peppers, select the Group type, then choose the group closest to you or the schedule that works best for you.
• For PAT, go to the Adolescents and Teens (PAT) tab, then choose the group you'd like to join based on your child's age or the schedule that works best for you.
• For Connecting the Expecting Groups, go to the Connecting the Expecting tab, then choose the start date that is during your third trimester. You may also want to use the Attendance Option filter to browse by one parent or one or more parents to see which groups offer what you're looking for.

When requests are made 2 weeks prior (or more) to the start of the group, a full refund will be given, minus the non-refundable registration fee which is equal to 10% of the program fee option you selected. No refunds will be given after the start of your PEPS group.

If your group is cancelled by PEPS for any reason, we will do our best to find you a different group or refund you in full.

PEPS asks for and regularly reviews demographic information as a way to help us evaluate disparities in our program outcomes and better serve parents throughout our region. We will use this data in internal program evaluations only. We may report publicly on PEPS work, including who is part of the community, but your data will be included in aggregate only and anonymously.