You are at home, your older children are at school and it’s either only you and/or you and your younger child. Maybe you are an empty-nester or never-nester, and while you have your own activities, you crave something more.

Maybe you want something that will tickle the brain, give you the opportunity to think about parenting, money, yourself, differently. Enter The River Center’s fall 2024 program lineup.

This fall we have no less than 17 programs that our parenting, children, youth and family educators have lined up. We also have several Money Matters presentations and programs, including the return of Financial Peace University.

A common misconception we come across here is that these programs are only for a certain subsection of the community. Not so! Our program facilitators plan our lineup with people and families from all walks of life in mind, such as our family programs. The River Center is here for the whole community. There is also so much more benefit beneath the surface, too.

A parent in our Mini Explorers program had this to say about her family’s experience last year: “This program is so wonderful. The weekly outings have introduced us to new places to explore on our own. We have been able to connect with other parents, explore our local community and get outside.”

She talks about connecting with others to whom she and her family may be able to turn when the going gets tough. She’s learned more about the local community through our hikes, but maybe she has also heard Nicole, the children’s teacher, talk about other resources that The River Center or other organizations have to offer where a family can find assistance for their unique needs.

She’s mindful that getting outside with her family is important, and maybe it’s one way for them to manage regular daily challenges. Through joining a program like Mini Explorers, parents are also able to see children of different ages and stages of child development so they can adjust their expectations of how their own child might be behaving or what they are able to do.

So take that leap of faith and join a program with us. We have several programs starting mid-month for families and children, including music and movement classes to baby play time to messy outdoor play and walks on a bike path whether your kids are at school or you have little ones in a stroller.

For parents only, we have Mindful Parenting with Jess Nelson, who will show you ways you can manage. When Your Kids Push Your Buttons will also be back over Zoom so if your spouse would also like to attend, they can while you tag-team the kids. We also have our always-popular Safe Sitter Essentials class for middle-schoolers taking place in November. You can find out more about these programs on our website at rivercenternh.org/calendar.

For families and adults, we have Morning Yoga at the Peterborough Town Library, where you can stretch those limbs to get you moving all through the week. While we are offering the program, you can register for this on the library’s website at peterboroughtownlibrary.org.

For adults, new Money Matters presentations will get you thinking about your future so you can take control of your household finances before they control you. For those of you who are self-employed earning a living through, for example, housecleaning, tutoring or gig work delivering groceries or restaurant orders, we have Tax Basics for the Self-Employed & Gig Workers on Sept. 19 at 6:30 pm. We have found through our free tax preparation program that people aren’t aware of aspects such as quarterly tax payments, what deductions one can take, and whether they are charging enough for their services given their tax liabilities. So, if this is you, plan on attending so you can avoid those unpleasant tax-time surprises.

Also returning is 12 Steps to Financial Health for Women on Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m. Women who attended last year found the program eye-opening. Its influence reached even farther when these women shared what they learned with their families. Some of their children, learning about the magic of compound interest, were excited to open their own IRAs so they could watch their money grow. In October, we are also beginning another Financial Peace University program and a three-part series on debt.

We have many exciting programs for you to choose from, and one of them is sure to benefit you and/or your family in more ways than you realize. To find out more about our fall lineup, please visit our website calendar at rivercenternh.org/calendar or call us at 603-924-6800.

Nisa Simila iscommunications and money matters coordinator at The River Center. She manages the marketing materials, social media and web presence of The River Center, as well as overseeing the Money Matters programming, including money coaching and free tax preparation.