History

PEPS was conceived in 1982 by a group of community volunteers concerned about the availability of critically necessary support for new parents in the King County area. Sandra Wallace, now PEPS Newborn Program Manager Director, sat on the Children’s Hospital Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect task force and encouraged a model similar to one she had experienced in Eugene, Oregon.  In 1983 PEPS was incorporated and hired its first employee, Mary Ellen O'Keefe a part-time coordinator.

A low-cost, high-impact approach to service delivery utilizing volunteer facilitators and meeting in participant homes was devised and PEPS began marketing its unique PEPS Group approach to new parents through hospitals and doctor's offices. The value of the PEPS approach was quickly recognized and the program continued to grow year to year. Since 1983 thousands of families have been a part of PEPS Groups and its associated programs; hundreds of PEPS Groups continue to meet for years beyond the formal program sessions.

From the very first Board meeting, PEPS has wanted to serve all types of parents. Over the years PEPS has developed and tested programs for many types of parents; teens, homeless; recent immigrants and low-income. These programs had wide support and varying degrees of success.  In recent years PEPS had focused on its original core program and now is committed to extending the reach of its approach by working in partnership with other organizations that have deep understanding of parent needs in the communities they serve.

Today, PEPS serves over 1,700 parents each year helping them to become connected to other parents, to share the ups and downs of their parenting adventure and to develop the skills they need to be effective and nurturing parents.