Volunteer With Us
TAKE ACTION IN YOUR COMMUNITY…
Share your time, caring, and wisdom with a new mom and her baby by visiting during the tender 4th trimester – when all families need a helping hand. Being supported by a strong parenting community in the early months postpartum can shape a parent’s confidence to parent from the very beginning of her mothering time.
You can help combat isolation and postpartum depression by connecting with a local family! We thank you for considering us in your gift of time!
“My volunteer has been such a touchstone for me on all aspects of new motherhood. I really valued her friendship and guidance enormously.”
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
If you have questions or want more information, contact us at info@goodbeginningscentralvt.org.
Postpartum Angel
Postpartum Angel
Postpartum Angels are the core of our programs, and are treasured in the community as essential support to new families of Washington county and beyond. Your volunteer commitment level is unique to your individual schedule. Good Beginnings is happy to accommodate different levels of commitment.
Postpartum Angels are matched with a family in their community who is expecting or has just welcomed a new baby. Your training begins by attending an informative orientation. All your questions are answered and you are given resources to follow your heart and gut while visiting your families. Volunteers are invited to attend 6 Purple Coffee Hours per year, which are offered on-site at Good Beginnings. Additional resources are available on our Volunteer Training page.
Postpartum Angels visit their families for 2-3 hours weekly or biweekly for up to 3 months. Between 15 and 20 families per month request a volunteer, and are interested in anywhere from a single informational visit to the full 3 months of weekly visits. Volunteer home visitors need strong communication skills and knowledge of service agencies available to assist families with newborn babies. Volunteers provide a link to community resources, offer education and support with emphasis on maternal/infant bonding, infant care, breastfeeding, fatherhood, nutrition, and literacy. Postpartum Angels are given a welcome bag full of gifts and health and safety information for each new family they visit with.
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Postpartum Angels are the core of our programs, and are treasured in the community as essential support to new families of Washington county and beyond. Your volunteer commitment level is unique to your individual schedule. Good Beginnings is happy to accommodate different levels of commitment.
Postpartum Angels are matched with a family in their community who is expecting or has just welcomed a new baby. Your training begins by attending an informative orientation. All your questions are answered and you are given resources to follow your heart and gut while visiting your families. Volunteers are invited to attend 6 Purple Coffee Hours per year, which are offered on-site at Good Beginnings. Additional resources are available on our Volunteer Training page.
Postpartum Angels visit their families for 2-3 hours weekly or biweekly for up to 3 months. Between 15 and 20 families per month request a volunteer, and are interested in anywhere from a single informational visit to the full 3 months of weekly visits. Volunteer home visitors need strong communication skills and knowledge of service agencies available to assist families with newborn babies. Volunteers provide a link to community resources, offer education and support with emphasis on maternal/infant bonding, infant care, breastfeeding, fatherhood, nutrition, and literacy. Postpartum Angels are given a welcome bag full of gifts and health and safety information for each new family they visit with.
In Loving Arms Visitor
In Loving Arms Visitor
We have a limited number of In Loving Arms volunteer positions and do not currently have a need for ILA volunteers. When ILA openings do arise, they are offered to established Postpartum Angel volunteers.
These visitors are matched with a newborn or infant who is boarding at CVMC due to medical issues such as premature birth, addiction, or other concerns. In Loving Arms volunteers are on standby to visit the nursery when needed to cuddle and comfort boarding infants under the supervision of a licensed nurse.
In some cases, visitation for these babies is minimal. In other cases, parents are there around the clock and need respite. In either case, our volunteers will provide in-arms care visits for young patients while they recover. Research has shown that in-arms care helps babies to thrive and develop emotional wellness. These visits may translate to home visits when the infant is released from CVMC. This group of visitors attends the Good Beginnings orientation and the Central Vermont Medical Center volunteer training. In Loving Arms visitors receive additional training opportunities on relevant topics.
Read More
We have a limited number of In Loving Arms volunteer positions and do not currently have a need for ILA volunteers. When ILA openings do arise, they are offered to established Postpartum Angel volunteers.
These visitors are matched with a newborn or infant who is boarding at CVMC due to medical issues such as premature birth, addiction, or other concerns. In Loving Arms volunteers are on standby to visit the nursery when needed to cuddle and comfort boarding infants under the supervision of a licensed nurse.
In some cases, visitation for these babies is minimal. In other cases, parents are there around the clock and need respite. In either case, our volunteers will provide in-arms care visits for young patients while they recover. Research has shown that in-arms care helps babies to thrive and develop emotional wellness. These visits may translate to home visits when the infant is released from CVMC. This group of visitors attends the Good Beginnings orientation and the Central Vermont Medical Center volunteer training. In Loving Arms visitors receive additional training opportunities on relevant topics.
Baby Circle Host
Baby Circle Host
Our Baby Circle host volunteers commit to staff our Nest parent drop-in space 2 hours per week on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm and offer welcoming, friendly, social support to parents who visit Baby Circle. This volunteer opportunity is family friendly. Babes in arms, toddlers, and preschoolers welcome! Our living room space is cozy, coffee and tea, reading material, toys, and parking are provided.
New parents visit the Nest during Baby Circle hours to connect with other parents in their community, gain peer support in their parenting journey, and take advantage of the resources available at the Nest. Our volunteer hosts are welcoming, friendly, non-judgmental, and comfortable staffing the Nest even when attendance is low. The host’s presence is so important, especially on a day when only one new parent with their baby comes to Baby Circle, so that they can still enjoy some adult conversation and social support.
Host opportunities are also available at our monthly Sunday Baby Circle, and our monthly Friday Baby Circle. Both of these Circles meet in Barre. Learn more!
Read More
Our Baby Circle host volunteers commit to staff our Nest parent drop-in space 2 hours per week on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm and offer welcoming, friendly, social support to parents who visit Baby Circle. This volunteer opportunity is family friendly. Babes in arms, toddlers, and preschoolers welcome! Our living room space is cozy, coffee and tea, reading material, toys, and parking are provided.
New parents visit the Nest during Baby Circle hours to connect with other parents in their community, gain peer support in their parenting journey, and take advantage of the resources available at the Nest. Our volunteer hosts are welcoming, friendly, non-judgmental, and comfortable staffing the Nest even when attendance is low. The host’s presence is so important, especially on a day when only one new parent with their baby comes to Baby Circle, so that they can still enjoy some adult conversation and social support.
Host opportunities are also available at our monthly Sunday Baby Circle, and our monthly Friday Baby Circle. Both of these Circles meet in Barre. Learn more!
All volunteers must complete our application process, criminal background check and reference checks. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and have prior experience with infants 0-3 months old. All volunteers have the opportunity to shadow a Good Beginnings staff member before visiting independently. All visitors also have access to ongoing training throughout the year.
“I’m really grateful that I had a volunteer come to my home in the first few months. I have a good home and I thought that people “more deserving” should have a volunteer instead of me, but she really added a lot to my relationship with my son.”
–Good Beginnings Participant
“I am honored to be a part of this team who have the same vision I have for mothers and babies.”
–Postpartum Angel Volunteer
