BRATTLEBORO — The Rocking Horse Circle of Support winter series begins Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Early Education Services, 130 Birge St.
Serving Windham County for the past eight years, Rocking Horse is an educational support group for pregnant and parenting mothers affected by their own or another's use of alcohol or drugs.
The group meets weekly on Wednesdays for 10 weeks and occurs twice a year. Classes start at 9:30 a.m. and end at 11:30. Transportation, professional childcare, and healthy meals are provided.
Groups are facilitated by MJ Woodburn, licensed alcohol and drug counselor, and Collette Gangloff, family specialist at Early Education Services.
Participants explore the effects of alcohol and drugs on themselves and their families. They also discuss stress management, self-care, parenting, communication, healthy relationships, and local community resources.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reports that 25 percent of children in America live in homes where substance abuse is present. The CDC also estimates that each year more than 130,000 pregnant women consume alcohol sufficient to increase the risk of fully preventable fetal alcohol syndrome, which results in long-lasting birth defects.
Trudee Ettlinger, associate professor of nursing at Norwich University, developed Rocking Horse in the Northeast Kingdom in 2001. The Vermont Department of Health administers the now statewide program through the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs (ADAP). To implement the program, the department partnered with treatment providers and early childhood councils.
In 2003, the National Center for Substance Abuse Prevention awarded Rocking Horse's statewide program its “Exemplary Award for Innovative Programs” based on successful outcomes.
Studies conclude that Rocking Horse participants increase understanding of the risks of drinking, drug use, and smoking during pregnancy. Participants also report an increase in their confidence at handling stress and parenting their children.