Our Classes

We are proud to offer

It Takes a Village: A class for Grandparents and other Supporters

The last 30 years have offered families more information on Infant Mental Health, Skin to Skin and strategies to support attachment,  which has resulted in changes in our day-to-day parenting techniques.  Our parenting values of unconditional love,  understanding, and parenting with intention have all remained. Still, the tools available to us have changed, and the work-life balance for families is different.  Leave with practical strategies to support your adult children and grandchildren, your extended family members, or your very best friend through the following topics and more!   

We will cover newborn sleep recommendations
Car seat use & safety
Babywearing
Infant feeding recommendations
Supporting a new family with practical tips (even during peak virus seasons)
How you can use technology to stay connected to your grandchild

Registration is per couple OR for one participant and their Plus-One (ie, Grandma-to-be and an Auntie ).

Leave feeling excited to be able to offer support for your family that reflects all of your family’s values.

Refund Policy: When cancelling a prenatal class after it has been booked, there is a $25 (CAD) administration fee. If cancellation occurs less than 14 days before the class, a 50% cancellation fee applies. If it is less than 7 days, there is no refund.  Requests for date changes within 7 days of class will reflect a $75 fee.  Please remember this when booking classes and plan to finish your session by 35 weeks.

People who took our class had this to say:


We dearly want to support the health of expectant families.

Erin is AMAZING! She is warm, supportive and beyond knowledgeable. She is always available to answer questions. The way she presents information is truly superior. I’m sad that our course is over and we won’t see her on a regular basis. Erin truly made the experience. My husband and I are so happy we took this course and had her as our instructor. Thank you so much, Erin!!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Incredible instruction that far exceeded my expectations. I was hesitant on the value at first but quickly found that it was worth every penny and then some. I highly recommend this class for first-time parents who feel lost or overwhelmed by the plethora of consumer products and parenting advice.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Julia was an amazing educator and I would highly recommend her and this course to new parents. It was incredibly helpful.

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

The Bringing Baby Home course is a great guide to the many how-to's that new parents face. As much emphasis is put on pregnancy and labour, this course allows you to learn and understand what awaits you once your baby is in your arms. We feel much more confortable and excited for the arrival of our baby as this course allowed us to put some worries at ease and opened our eyes to other great options to help raise a happy family.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

I actually learned about the Ottawa CEA through a friend. I would definitely recommend the Bringing Baby Home course to all first-time parents. It really helps to demystify a lot of things surrounding baby care. I feel much more prepared to welcome baby home after taking this course!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

The educator, Erin, was so friendly, kind, and easy to talk to. She did an excellent job and we really enjoyed seeing her on Tuesdays :)

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

The virtual prenatal class my husband and I took through the OCEA was an excellent experience! Useful and insightful information was presented in a thoughtful and organised fashion and we were also given additional resources upon completion of the course. There was time to ask questions over the duration of the course and the instructor was incredibly knowledgeable and able to offer examples of the situations she was discussing. I would highly recommend this course to any first time parents.

Pre Natal – with Brandie Lekovic

Great class. Exceeded my expectations and I feel much more prepared as a first-time mom. All the little details you don't think of until after the fact. Definitely worth the small fee for a greater piece of kind.

Bringing Baby Home – with Brandie Lekovic

This class was unbelievably helpful for navigating the crazy world of new / first borns. My husband and I feel more equipped for bringing our baby home and learned so much about the options and resources available to us. Highly recommend for first time parents!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

She was very engaging and passionate about the information she was sharing. I enjoyed her teaching style.

Pre Natal – with Julia Wykes

The OCEA Bringing Baby Home class provides a wealth of information and up to date, easily accessible and practical resources for soon-to-be parents, in easily digestible segments that leave participants feeling confident in their ability to parent their new son or daughter.

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen

Bringing Baby Home was a practical, yet evidence-based course, to help expectant parents learn the ins and outs of the first year and beyond. An abundance of resources is presented to the participants in multiple formats - web-based, books, and also by using a hands-on approach. Hands-on introduction to both slings/carriers and diapers (disposable vs. multiple cloth) allows you sample products without the pressure of being in a store or purchasing a variety and figuring it out by trial and error. The instructor was extremely knowledgeable, approachable and encouraging. I would highly recommend this course as a step-above most baby courses!

Bringing Baby Home – with Erin Shaheen


 
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  • Online

    It Takes a Village
    3 weekdays
    Mon, Nov. 3 · Nov. 10 & Nov. 17, 2025
    07:00 PM - 09:15 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    It Takes a Village
    3 weekdays
    Mon, Jan. 12 · Jan. 19 & Jan. 26, 2026
    07:00 PM - 09:15 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now

  • Online

    It Takes a Village
    3 weekdays
    Mon, March 16 · March 23 & March 30, 2026
    07:00 PM - 09:15 PM
    Online Class Using Zoom
    Register now