Newly named and revamped Family Building event replaces Johns Hopkins Baby Shower

The Johns Hopkins Baby Shower—once a twice-yearly half-day in-person event—has not only a new name but a reenvisioned agenda designed to better support employees.

The renamed and reshaped Family Building event debuts with the fall rendition, scheduled for Nov. 7 to 11. And it will be virtual.

Planning, expecting, and new parents working in the university and health system will be able to learn about their benefits and leave policies, watch presentations on Worklife programs that provide lactation support and help finding and paying for child care; hear from experts in reproductive health, child care, and more; and tune in to webinars that support wellness and mental health.

"The old in-person event packed three presentations into four hours, with additional vendors at tables, and it put a lot of information onto attendees all at once," says Jessica Lohmeyer, family programs specialist in the Office of Benefits & Worklife. "We now get to serve more resources to more parents in more locations, with seven to 10 webinars spread throughout the week, where subject-matter experts are able to go deeper with their content and resources."

Another upside of a virtual event: The content will be recorded and posted on the Family Programs website to serve employees who need information and support between the fall and spring sessions.

But there are broader reasons for the transformation of the event, says Jeremy Hornberger, also a family programs specialist.

"Families are far from one size fits all, and there are numerous paths to parenthood," Hornberger says. "The other goal in renaming the event was to provide inclusive support for all families, LGBTQIA+ families, transgender parents and children, single parents, families that pursue IUI or IVF, adoption, surrogacy, and more."

The new and evolved program, Lohmeyer and Hornberger say, was developed by the Benefits & Worklife team using input from past event attendees, peers from work-life programs at other universities, and the JHU offices of Diversity and Inclusion, Gender and Sexuality Resources, and Communications.

The schedule and registration for November's event will be published in October. Register to attend or to have the recordings sent right to your inbox. Sessions allow anonymous questions and are free for you and your spouse/partner to attend.