Hello friendly faces! It’s a new Chicago North Shore Moms spotlight brought to you in part by Mary Gifford of Gifford Law. We heard from two Evanston moms who have recently started something so big, it’s literally taking on a life of its own….. but not without the expert guidance of Meera Sinha and Emma Huntley. The lifelong friends whose educational background and career trajectories in early childhood and psychology have mirrored one another, recently started ParentConnect, a new parenting community on Chicago’s North Shore designed to help moms build their village and find in joy in the chaos.
Meera and Emma bring a wealth of expertise—and a lifetime of shared experiences—to this innovative venture. Their story is as heartwarming as their mission: childhood neighbors who grew up running between each other’s backyards, they now find themselves raising young families in the same neighborhood where their friendship began. Rooted in their own experiences as moms, ParentConnect offers a fresh approach to parenting groups: think honest conversations over snacks and wine, rather than lectures or rigid curriculums.
Learn more about the inspiring story behind ParentConnect, local favorite family spots (including a few parks!) great book reads, expert words to live by, and, last but not least, how these two are reimagining community support for parents of young children. Welcome Meera, Emma and ParentConnect!
Hi Meera and Emma! Please introduce yourself. Where are you from originally? What city do you live in now? What brought you here?
Hi! I’m Meera and this is Emma. We are lifelong friends, co-founders of ParentConnect, and Evanston moms. We were both born and raised in Evanston and we’re thrilled to be back raising our own young children in the neighborhood where we grew up.
Tell us more about your families.
Emma has two girls, ages 1 and 3, whom you’re sure to run into splashing away at Centennial Pool, enjoying the Kohl Children’s Museum, or frequenting the restaurants on Central Street in Evanston. Emma’s husband is the quintessential “girl dad;” when he isn’t giving us startup advice and coming up with clever names for our program offerings, he can be found with neon butterfly clips in his hair creating elaborate runs-of-show for his daughters’ epic birthday parties.
Meera’s boys, ages 4 and 6, love anything and everything having to do with trucks. Their favorite activities are riding the trains at Duke Park, brunching alongside vintage vehicles at Double Clutch Brewery and working in their vegetable garden. Meera’s husband is a devoted stay-at-home dad, politics junkie and the greatest role model she could dream up for her boys.
What are one or two fun facts to know about you?
We’ve known each other our entire lives! We grew up next door to one another and have countless memories running to and from each other’s yards and houses. Our families are close friends and we’ve traveled the world together. Meera’s mom was the first person outside of Emma’s family to hold her as a baby, and, full circle, Meera had the same role when Emma’s daughter was born.
You may see us around town in matching outfits. This is not planned. In fact, we now often do an outfit check before meeting up to make sure we are not wearing the same thing (which we inevitably always do).
A very unique and special friendship for sure. What are your favorite local places to visit together?
Our favorite restaurants are The Fat Shallot, DeSalvo’s Pizza, Evanston Corner Bistro, Parlor Ice Cream, Comida Cantina, Ovo Frito, Double Clutch Brewery, La Principal, Eva Dean’s, Sophia Steak, Pomeroy, Jimoto, Indus Progressive Indian and Abigail’s.
We also love exploring all the North Shore has to offer for families. Some favorites include South End Community Center’s indoor playspace, the Kohl Children’s Museum, Central Park in Skokie, Jamberry music classes, sports at the YMCA and of course the wonderful libraries in our community.
What are you reading and watching – any bingy recs?
We are both part of a lovely moms book club in our neighborhood. Admittedly we spend more time drinking wine and chatting about life than discussing the books, but our last couple of reads were The Wedding People and God of the Woods. Some of our other favorites are By Any Other Name, The Great Believers and The Vanishing Half.
Shows we’re watching: Nobody Wants This, Presumed Innocent, Couples Therapy, and college hoops!
As founders of a parent community, what’s one piece of advice you’ve gotten that’s guided you?
On parenting – “it feels hard because it is hard.”
On starting a business – “you can’t be scared to fail.”
It isn’t surprising that this advice sounds so similar – our new parent community, ParentConnect, feels a little like another baby for us. We try to keep in mind our purpose, which guides us, but remember that we cannot control everything, and sometimes less is more.
Your mantra?
Not specifically a “mantra,” but we believe in finding strength through support, finding humor in difficult situations, and giving ourselves grace always.
Let’s get down to business. Please tell us all about this new “baby” of yours’, ParentConnect
We launched ParentConnect in January, 2024 and we’ve been loving the startup life. While our vision is evolving as we learn from the families we serve, our core mission is to build an in-person community between parents of young children on the North Shore. Through our moms’ groups and parent events, we help families build friendships and connections to make parenting feel more joyful and less like work.
Our events have a fun, social feel – less “parenting class” and more “organic conversation over wine, snacks, and good company.” At each event or group session, we facilitate conversation on a parenting topic, integrate some knowledge, research, and experience into the discussion, and encourage parents to share, vent, and laugh their way through the wild ride that IS parenting!
Recent topics have included Your Changing Identity as a Mom, Finding Balance as a Parent, Cultivating Independence for Yourself and Your Child, Building Routines, and Navigating Marriage/Partnership With Kids. Our goal is to recreate the “village” that naturally grew out of our own families’ proximity and shared stage of life.
What inspired you both to create ParentConnect?
Prior to ParentConnect, we were both incredibly passionate about our jobs in early childhood education and psychology. When we had our own children, we leaned on each other endlessly for advice and support. We felt the natural struggles and isolation of motherhood, and we found our backgrounds in child development extremely valuable. We also found ourselves at a point in our careers where we were ready to take the leap and start our own company, something we had always talked about doing.
Through many conversations, long walks, and honest reflection, we hashed up the concept of ParentConnect. We asked ourselves: what if there were a community of parents – almost like a modern-day social club – that found joy in parenting, had vulnerable conversations about the ups and downs of family life, and was rooted in decades of research on child development and parental well-being?
How does your unique backgrounds in early childhood education and special needs shape the vision for this community?
We believe that every family is unique, every child is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to parenting. In our programs, you’ll often hear us saying things like “less is more,” “give yourself grace,” and “do what works for your family.” While we are experts in child development, we know that every parent is the expert on their own child and family.
You mentioned that you both have a very impressive background in early childhood education and psychology. What was your career path prior to starting ParentConnect?
In addition to having a strong friendship, our skills and backgrounds are complementary.
Emma has dedicated her career to understanding and supporting children with diverse needs and abilities. She conducted multidisciplinary research through the University of North Carolina with families of children with varied genetic and neurodevelopmental profiles. This research led Emma to a career in individual and family developmental therapy, and training for teachers and staff working with children with developmental differences. Emma received a BA in psychology from Pomona College, and holds a Master’s in Child Development with a Specialization in Children with Special Needs from Erikson Institute.
Prior to ParentConnect, Meera worked in the education sector, designing programs and products that increased access to high quality, Montessori-inspired early childhood education. Her experience includes researching the development of early childhood self-regulation at NYU’s Neuroscience & Education Lab, starting a Montessori school in New York City and running a national incubator for teachers starting their own Montessori microschools. Meera received a BA from Duke University, a Master’s degree from NYU in early childhood social and emotional learning and her Montessori teacher training certification from the Montessori Institute of San Diego.
What are the upcoming events or initiatives at ParentConnect?
This January, we’re offering new moms’ groups through the park districts in Evanston, Winnetka, and Glencoe. These 6-week programs are for moms with babies ages 0-6 months. Each week, we discuss a parenting topic and share in the joys and challenges of early motherhood. One of our recent participants told us she wasn’t sure how she would have gotten through her postpartum experience without ParentConnect’s new moms’ group. We’re thrilled to be expanding our programming to reach more new moms across the North Shore!
As a startup, we’re constantly listening to our community and growing with the families we’re supporting. We’ve gotten lots of interest in programming beyond the “brand new mom” phase, so this winter we are launching The Weekender, a monthly Sunday brunch group for moms with babies ages 4-12 months old, in partnership with some fun restaurants on the North Shore.
Where are classes held?
Evanston new moms groups are held at South End Community Center; Winnetka new moms groups are held at the Winnetka Park District; and Glencoe new moms groups are held at the Takiff Center. Learn more and register here. Get on the list for The Weekender moms group here.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about ParentConnect?
At ParentConnect, our goal is to connect parents to each other, but also to the community and resources around them. Part of our long term goal is to be a trusted source for parents to identify supportive, quality resources. We believe that parents are inundated daily with information, a lot of which is questionable. We want to meet and collaborate with other local organizations who are aligned, so please connect with us by reaching out or on Instagram and Facebook.
About our Meet of Mom Sponsor
A very heartfelt thank you to CNSMoms’ Meet a Mom sponsor, Lake Forest mom of three and owner of Gifford Law, a solo Estate Planning Firm (wills and trusts). Mary, we appreciate your support of local moms in our North Shore communities! Learn more about Mary by visiting her Meet a Mom spotlight here! Contact Mary directly here: [email protected].
