Resources

Below you will find a wide range of local and national resources to assist with your children's care, safety and play.

  • Dial 211 for local services and resources such as utility assistance, housing, food, elder care, after school programs, crisis services and more.
  • UC Davis Fire Department Child Passenger Safety Program - through pre-scheduled appointments, the fire department will offer a comprehensive safety inspection of child safety seats for members of the campus community and residents of the City of Davis. To schedule an appointment for a comprehensive car seat inspection, visit the UC Davis Fire Department website at fire.ucdavis.edu. Simply navigate to the "I Need To" tab on the main page, and follow the instructions provided. Once your appointment request is received, the Program Coordinator will confirm the date and time with you. Please note that only certified technicians can conduct inspections. 
  • Alta California Resources Support for people with Developmental Disabilities and their families. Sacramento
  • Promoting and Supporting Breastfeeding through Child Care Centers brochure
  • Davis Parent University
  • Help Me Grow Yolo County connects all families with children, birth to age 5, to resources in Yolo County that support healthy growing and learning. Offers free and confidential developmental screenings for your child. They can also help connect you with childcare, information about Medi-Cal Services and age-appropriate activities for the family. 
  • NAEYC: monthly newsletter delivers highlights from families.naeyc.org—research-based information on children's learning and development.
  • University of California Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
  • Guidelines for Parents/Guardians with Children on Campus

Podcasts:

  • Equal Parts by Care.com  A podcast for working parents who are trying to balance it all while caring for the people they love...including themselves.

  • NUWorkWell is a Northwestern University podcast for Work, Life & Wellness as a graduate student. Job searching as a graduate student, while balancing a dissertation, teaching, and a personal life can feel all-consuming. From graduate alumni offering insight and support regarding specific job search processes, to practitioners sharing strategies and resources for managing wellness throughout career exploration and searches, our interviews are here to help graduate students conduct a job search with sanity! 

  • NerdWallet Smart Money Nerdy Deep Dive: Why is Child Care So Expensive?  2 part podcast

Yolo County Library

Library branches carry early learning kits, available for free, four weeks at a time, to parents, educators, caregivers and those who work with young children. The 26 different themed kits are complete units of study with storybooks, informational books, puppets and games, manipulatives, feltboard stories, and instructions. Learn more here.

Support and Playgroups

Pandemic Parenting Support Group

Provided by ASAP Health and open to all UC Davis employees. Groups will be held most weeks on Thursdays at noon. Each week the support group will be focused on a theme, from coparenting to asking for alone time. Although there will be a focus, the group meanders where it wants. The facilitator, Perynn D’Alba, assists the group in creating a supportive environment so that members can share what they would like. This is an open group and members change each week. Some weeks may focus on a child age group (toddlers to teens) but anyone is welcome to come. As this is a support group it is always beneficial when parents bring topics that they would like support with and are prepared to provide support to others. These are unique times and the pandemic has added more challenges than we could have all imagined.  Learn about the week's topic and register for the upcoming zoom sessions at the ASAP Support Group page.

Perynn D’Alba is the predoctoral intern for the health side employee assistance program, ASAP. She has worked with children and families at various mental health facilities. She has learned that even before there was a pandemic parents often feel alone in childrearing. Supports groups provide a safe space for members to share stories and struggles.

Support Group for Faculty:  Doing It All When Your Children are Small: A Support Group for Faculty Parents of Babies and Toddlers  Monthly support group for the faculty member with young children.  Parents of all genders are welcome, as are their babies. Tuesdays, 10-12, Student Comm Ctr. Room A

Facebook Groups

  • UC Davis Graduate, Undergraduate and Professional Student Parents Facebook Page
  • UC Davis Health Parent Resource Group Facebook Page
  • Davis Babysitter & Nanny Network for UCD, Davis, Woodland, Winters Facebook Page

New Parent Network/Davis Food Coop: An informal gathering in the COOP Teaching Kitchen (537 G Street) for new and expecting parents and their little ones. The meetings are free and aimed at fun education and support for each other.  Every Tuesday, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Play School Experience:  A non-religious playgroup for babies 0-36 months and their caregivers.  Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:30-11:00 at Davis Community Church.  Free, drop in with your child, encourage social skills and participate in circle time.  A collaboration of Empower Yolo and Davis Community Church.

MomSense Group: A time for moms of young children to come and watch or listen to a short presentation about parenting then  discuss struggles and joys of being mothers in this new era of parenting.  Led by Kate Boxeth, a Minister of Children and Youth and mother to two young children as well as a foster mother and Elisa Stone, Minister of Care at Davis Community Church.  Elisa has decades of experience as a director of a preschool, as well as a teacher for the Center of Excellence in Early Childhood Education at UC Davis. She has raised four children to adulthood and has also been a foster parent.  

  • Davis Community Church
  • Third Thursday of each month
  • 9:15- 11 am in The Gallery (just off the playground on 4th Street)
  • Free and fun. Childcare provided. 
  • RSVP to Elisa Stone: elisa@dccpres.org

Baby & Me Support Group: Welcomes moms, dads and other primary caregivers of infants from birth to nine months. The goal of the group, led by an expert, is to provide a place where parents can learn from one another while building friendships and creating a support community. Baby & Me meets every Tuesday at 9:00 am at Sweet Potato Pie 528 Main Street, Woodland. No reservation is necessary and parents are encouraged to simply stop by and join in. For more information, contact Janelle at 530-662-8000 or littlespudpatch@gmail.com. 

Woodland Healthcare New Parent Support Group: Join Woodland Healthcare lactation consultants and staff, along with other new mothers to answer questions and share the challenges and joys of bringing baby home. You are welcome to bring your baby, significant other and family members to this support group. The support group is bilingual, open to the public and FREE of charge. The support group meets every second and fourth Monday (except holidays) from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the Woodland Medical Office, Education Classroom, 632 W. Gibson Road. For more information, call 530-669-5420.

Worth the Wait Support Group at Davis/UC Davis Health: A support group for women of Advanced Maternal Age (35 years and older) is taking place once a month each in Davis and UC Davis Health, Sacramento. The purpose of this group is to share the positive and challenging experiences of being a more mature first time or repeat mother. Topics of discussion include fertility, pregnancy, health care, child care, resources, and many more! If you would like to join, please contact Jen Byberg at jabyberg@ucdavis.edu or Worth the Wait Moms Support Group on facebook https://m.facebook.com/groups/1840331559365943. 

Children's Home Society of California Resource Library: CHS Resource Library is located at 1100 Main Street, Suite 230. Woodland, CA 95695. You can borrow up to five items from the library per month, including toys, books, games and more. They also offer six feet of lamination per month and die-cuts (20 sheets of construction paper per month). To use the library services/resources, please call 530-723-5225 to make appointment.