The Penn Women's Center, with the help of $1,200 donated last summer by the Trustees' Council of Penn Women, has begun a series of initiatives to help students, faculty and staff with young children.
PWC is converting a first-floor office - previously a "nap room" - into a nursing room open to all community members. PWC director Felicity Paxton predicted the room will be usable in two weeks, as soon as the mural in the room is complete.
"The nursing room will, most importantly, provide a cheerful, private space for mothers to feed and spend some time with their children," Paxton said.
Last semester, PWC also used the grant to form two parenting support groups, New Parents at Penn and Working Moms at Penn. The groups are open to the community and meet weekly.
Other initiatives funded by the grant include guest speakers who will discuss navigating the Philadelphia school system and long-term financial planning.
"The target group for this grant appealed to us, and we were delighted to increase our grant support to a broad spectrum of people," TCPW chairwoman Marjorie Schaye said.
Other upcoming PWC initiatives include a freshmen women mentorship program, which will pair incoming freshmen women with a junior or a senior to help smooth the transition to college.
School of Social Policy and Practice graduate student Lauren Willner, an intern at PWC, is applying for an additional grant to fund this initiative, which she hopes will "fill a void for female students who cannot or do not rush for sororities," she said.
