mothering ’n more! inc., a Canadian company that provides parents with education, preparation and support, has launched Parents At Work, a new program that addresses the needs of busy, working parents.

The company provides seminars to employees at their place of work on a variety of parenting and work-life balance topics, and all expecting or new mothers are invited to join prenatal and postnatal courses as part of the Parents At Work program.

“Finding a balance between a busy successful career and a family life is not easy,” said Joanne Poljanowski, a senior partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Canada’s third largest national law firm which recently signed-on to the program. “The Parents At Work program is a valuable resource that we can employ to support our professionals in seeking such balance. It’s a win-win for the firm and working parents.”

Programs are offered in convenient and comfortable settings, and address questions on such subjects as prenatal and postnatal matters, child development and discipline, family fitness and nutrition, work-life balance and stress management, education planning, family financial management, and assessing nannies and daycares.

Parents at Work, also being introduced at accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP this fall, is an annual corporate program that brings the information and support busy parents need to the workplace.

According to Statistics Canada, two of every three Canadian women with children are part of the employed work force, up from 39 per cent in 1976. The overwhelming majority of Canadian families have both parents working and they are feeling the burden of trying to do it all. “We created Parents At Work because more companies need to provide the tools and support that we parents need,” said Aimée Israel, co-founder and CEO of mothering ’n more! inc.. “The Parents At Work program is an innovative tool for companies that have been searching for an action-oriented way to support their working mothers and fathers.”

Ken Kyriacou, Senior Tax Manager and father of two, leads the Toronto Ernst & Young Parenting Initiative. “Just knowing that others face the same challenges is important,” commented Mr. Kyriacou. “Programs like Parents At Work are part of our people first culture at Ernst & Young. They make a difference.”