Currently, the Bergen County Chapter of Mothers & More consists of over 85 members from Bergen, Passaic, and Rockland counties. In addition to our twice-monthly evening meetings, the chapter offers a variety of committees and activities. Below is a sample of our current offerings:

Activities

Playgroups: Playgroups consist of 3-6 members who meet with their children during the day, usually once a week. Playgroups meet in members’ homes on a rotating basis. They are organized by children's ages and geography, when possible.

Moms & Tots Outings: Monthly, a daytime outing is planned for moms and kids. These are events that are either difficult or impossible to plan on your own (i.e. a trip to a firehouse) or more fun in a group (i.e. a day at the beach). Pumpkin picking at Abma's Farm in Wyckoff is a seasonal favorite. This is a great way to meet other members and their children!

Seasoned Moms: This group meets every other month for casual discussion and socializing. Topics are chosen in advance of the meeting and are based on members' interests. This group focuses on the needs of members who are beyond first-time motherhood and find themselves facing the adventure of mothering beyond the toddler years. 

Moms' Night Out: Moms’ Night Out takes place on a monthly basis and offers a chance to get out and relax. Past events have included restaurants, movies, bowling, horse back riding, to name a few. Locations rotate around the county and are selected based on consensus regarding price, quality, and ability to accommodate groups.

Arts and Crafts: One evening per month the group meets in members’ homes to complete a craft project. Typically, the group chooses the projects and the coordinator organizes supplies.

Chapter Playgroup:  When weather permits, we host a chapter-wide playgroup at various parks around Bergen County.  The playgroup is open to all members and is held twice a week at the same location to allow for maximum participation. This is a terrific outlet for members who are not yet in a playgroup and a great way to see all the wonderful parks that Bergen County has to offer!

Walking Group: This is a stroller-friendly walking group that meets once a week. The group meets at a park when weather permits and at a local mall during cold or inclement weather. 

Book Group: This group meets every other month at members’ homes to discuss a book, usually a current novel with some literary value. Books are chosen by consensus of the Book Group members.

Early Stages: This group meets on a weekday once a month at members’ homes. The group is aimed at parents with children under 3. While there is no formal topic for these meetings, discussions may include: toilet training, sleep issues, bottle vs. breast, choosing a pre-school, etc. 

Scrapbooking: This group meets once a month to scrapbook. They share tools, ideas and friendships. You don't have to be a professional scrapbooker to join, all you need is the desire to create wonderful memories and meet and learn from other scrapbookers.

Committees

Care Committee: This unique woman-to-woman support network provides meals, etc. to members in need: those with newborns, those who have undergone major surgery or health problems, and those with a death in the family.

Publicity: To maintain continuous outreach and support, our chapter places notices and news releases in local parenting publications. We are also working on a program to reach out to new mothers via the hospitals.

Community Outreach: Each year our chapter participates in a Community Outreach project. Some of our recent projects have included donations of food and money to a local food bank and adopting families at the holidays.

Fundraising: Of your $45 membership dues, our chapter receives $14 and the balance goes to National. To meet our chapter's basic operating costs and occasional speaker fees, we try to undertake fundraising that offers worthwhile benefits to our members while raising money for the chapter.

Membership:  The Membership Committee responds to inquiries from prospective members and the media, greets prospective members at meetings, and provides information on joining the chapter. They hold an annual membership drive in the Fall. Membership also hosts the bi-annual New Member Socials to encourage participation amongst new members. 

Topics: The Topics Committee arranges discussion topics and speakers for our twice-monthly chapter meetings, aided by responses to member surveys. Mothers & More national policy suggests that meeting topics revolve around four general themes: Personal Growth; Mothers as Mothers; Professional Growth and Consciousness Raising. 

Newsletter: Our chapter's bi-monthly publication, Time Out, keeps members up-to-date on our many activities and programs, as well as with each other. It is particularly helpful to members who are unable to attend meetings regularly.

Refreshments Committee: At our twice-monthly meetings we not only have great discussions, but goodies too! Our meeting center provides the coffee and hot water and we supply the rest. Members sign up to bring snacks to a meeting and the chapter provides tea, hot chocolate, etc.

Chapter Business Loop: This is an email loop for the entire chapter. We use it as a communication tool to bring members their Time Out, Membership List, Weekly Reminders and other important information.

Chapter Discussion Loop: This is a voluntary email loop created to generate discussion among members in the Bergen County Chapter. The discussions can be anything from recommendations for pediatricians and plumbers to a continuation of the discussion from the last general meeting.