Professional Women Who Find Motherhood a Tough Job Now Have Help
Chappaqua, NY • October 25, 2002
Women Make Friends and Get Involved in Their Communities through Preschool Associations in Chappaqua and Pleasantville
Siderow Kennedy Real Estate Provides Clerical Assistance and Financial Support
Professional women who interrupt their careers to care for children switch from a life filled with meetings, deadlines, and clients to a life focused on just one little being. But after working for years, older mothers can find themselves restless and lonely when they stay at home with their newborn infant or preschooler. If they are new to Westchester, the adjustment is harder. "Couples who move here from New York or someplace else may be too busy working to make friends or learn about their communities," explains Sheila Siderow, president of Siderow Kennedy Real Estate in Chappaqua. "Traditionally, parents meet other parents when their children go to kindergarten at age five, but five years can seem an eternity if you're sitting at home with an infant."
A few Westchester mothers decided to do something about it. They used their pent-up drive and managerial skills to organize two groups - the Chappaqua Parents Preschool Association (CPPA) and the Pleasantville Parents Preschool Association (PPPA) - to fill the intellectual void and immerse themselves into the community. CPPA and PPPA are not-for-profit associations supported by Siderow Kennedy.
"I worked for 15 years and my days were extremely busy," says Laura Weiner, a former information technology analyst at Reader's Digest who founded CPPA three years ago when her daughter Dana was a year old. "Suddenly, I was home with an infant who
couldn't move or talk back. I was going bonkers, and I figured other mothers were having the same experience."
The Preschool Associations, however, give parents and preschoolers plenty to do. Children of the same age are organized into weekly playgroups of four to six tots. CPPA, with 100 member families, organizes family ice cream socials in Gedney Park in Millwood, an annual picnic, a "Mini Monet" art program, and other arts and crafts activities. While most activities involve children, CPPA helps parents get away from it all by holding an annual wine tasting fundraiser, a monthly night out for moms, and poker nights for the dads. It also provides much-needed information about Chappaqua schools and other child-oriented resources. "One woman was desperate to know about nursery schools," Ms. Weiner says. "We had the information she needed."
PPPA founders Carolyn Sweeney and Kathleen Rapley are Pleasantville residents who originally joined CPPA to be with mothers like themselves - professional, active, and eager to do things. It became apparent, however, that Pleasantville needed its own association. For example, Pleasantville parents want information on Pleasantville nursery and public schools, but CPPA, of course, focuses on Chappaqua schools. Now PPPA, founded in fall, 2001, has 87 member families. The association has brought in a child psychiatrist and pediatric dentist to speak, and arranged a Family Fun Day in the park. "The idea is to get people together to meet and socialize," says Ms. Rapley, who formerly managed physician practices and now cares for her two-year-old daughter Sophie.
A Sympathetic Sponsor
Although the associations charge fees for some events, the money barely covers expenses, which can include rental fees, materials, and insurance. When Ms. Weiner realized two years ago she needed sponsors to help carry the cost, she went up and down King Street in Chappaqua to ask merchants for support. One of her stops was Siderow Kennedy Real Estate, where she spoke to Sheila Siderow, its president. Ms. Siderow immediately recognized the value of the association.
"I was sensitive to what Laura was trying to do because when I moved to Chappaqua, I didn't know anyone. I know what loneliness is," she says, adding that older, worldlier moms, in particular, miss their professional connections. Mature moms
"want to make meaningful friends who can talk about theatre and business, not just children," she says.
Ms. Siderow became an enthusiastic supporter of CPPA, providing both money and clerical help. The Siderow Kennedy staff photocopies the flyers, stuffs envelopes, and posts them, with the office picking up the cost. The office also pays for signs, renting rooms, printing, and even trick-or-treat bags for the children. "We try to do anything that keeps the cost down for the members," Ms. Siderow says.
When PPPA started, Ms. Siderow didn't hesitate to sponsor the Pleasantville association, too. Her agency, which specializes in residential real estate, is active in Pleasantville as well as Chappaqua, and she believes in organizations that enhance Northern Westchester communities. She supports the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the Audubon Society, and founded the Woman-to-Woman Network for suddenly single women.
"This is a community, a neighborhood - a family," Ms. Siderow says. "We have a home here; everyone feels comfortable in our office."
For more information on CPPA, contact the CPPA hotline at 914-320-2772. For information on PPPA, contact either Carolyn Sweeney at 914-773-0745 or Kathleen Rapley at 914-773-1783.
Siderow Kennedy
Siderow Kennedy Real Estate opened its doors at 65 King Street in Chappaqua in 1994, specializing in residential real estate sales in Chappaqua and the nearby communities of Pleasantville, Briarcliff, Bedford, and Bedford Corners. Recently, the firm has begun to expand its services in commercial properties, new construction, and development. To learn more about Siderow Kennedy and to visit homes on the MLS, please visit its Web site at www.houseswestchester.com or call 914-238-6600.
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Media Contact: Jeannie Mandelker
Harrison Edwards PR 914/242-0010