Parents engagés pour la petite enfance (PEP) is a vital, grassroots organization dedicated to supporting families with young children—especially immigrant and low-income parents—through in-home programs and community-based initiatives that promote early childhood development, school readiness, and social inclusion. Based in Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Côte-Saint-Luc, PEP’s mission is rooted in values of equity, education, solidarity, and justice. Under the leadership of Marie-Josée Perreault, a former community worker who rose to Executive Director, the organization has become a lifeline for hundreds of families. In her words, “Parenting is never easy, and there’s no perfect manual—but what we can offer is support, without judgment.”
From lending books and toys to facilitating access to specialized care, PEP empowers parents while also making space for joy, play, and growth. And whether through volunteering, joining the board, or supporting their community gardens, there are many ways for locals to get involved in this mission of care and connection.
Describe your charity/non-profit/volunteer work in a few sentences.
Parents engagés pour la petite enfance (PEP) has the mission of offering, developing and supporting, particularly in Quebec, programs primarily at home, aimed at improving the ability of immigrant parents and those from disadvantaged backgrounds to strengthen their young children’s ability to learn and to better prepare them for school. We offer home visiting services to expectant parents and parents of children aged 0 to 5. We operate in the Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighbourhood and the city of Côte-Saint-Luc.
What problem does it aim to solve?
Promote the social integration of parents and children, ensure the academic success of children, break the isolation of immigrant families and those from disadvantaged backgrounds and contribute to the development of parents’ professional skills, so that they can more easily access the job market. Our values are education for all, social integration, equal opportunities, solidarity, social justice and strengthening partnerships and the community.
We mainly provide home visits to future parents and parents of 0-5 years old. We have built 480 activities sheets that are easy to use and don’t need a lot of materials. The community workers give information about children’s development and suggest activities, lend books, offer a space for the parents to talk about parental strategies or to ventilate, and we offer information and accompaniment to resources for other needs of the families. Our other programs have really fun group activities, mini-gardens, cooking activities, etc.
When did you start/join it?
7 years ago, as a community worker, after a year, I became an administrative coordinator, and I have been the Executive Director for two years.
What made you want to get involved?
I come from a community where there are not a lot of community organizations for a really big territory. If you don’t have family or a strong social circle, you are really isolated. When I came to Montreal and particularly to NDG, I was amazed that there was so much organization and so many wonderful initiatives driven by committed and wonderful people. I wanted to start my career as a researcher, but I felt that I couldn’t bring as much impact as through the community sphere. I felt a sense of community where no one is left behind should be in all Quebec or Canada. I started by volunteering, which I still do, and at the end of my studies, I was recruited as a community worker. I really feel at my place getting involved and trying to make this neighbourhood a more welcoming space! When I started working, I couldn’t believe that an organization like ours existed. Parenting is never easy, and there isn’t a book of the perfect parent, because it doesn’t exist. Every family and every child is different, and I think it is important that we can offer support and guidance. Often, parents tell us that they don’t feel safe sharing any problems, difficulties, or insecurities with friends or families because of the fear of being judged. In our organization, they can share their experience without judgment and I think we need more space like that in our community. Also, our organization is for and from the parents. We are constantly asking the parents for their needs and also what kind of activities interest them. Their voices are important to us, and that’s why our organization adapts our services to them.
What was the situation like when you started?
The situation was not good, but not in the same way. When I started, it was a really new organization and we had only our program of home visits. The needs were there, but less urgent. We really struggled keeping a strong team with the very low budget we had when we were starting.
How has it changed since?
Now, our organization has a lot of different projects and is expanding. Unfortunately, it’s because the needs are growing alarmingly. The families really struggle providing for the basic needs of their children so it’s really difficult to concentrate on playing with their kids or developing their abilities if they don’t know if they will have a roof or enough food. We also have more children with developmental delays and children that have ADHD, autism or Down syndrome. The parents feel that they are abandoned by the system before the diagnosis and after it, and we support and accompany them through more difficult times by finding resources and information with them.
What more needs to be done?
So much more!! The needs are increasing; part is due to the basic needs becoming no more affordable, but also a lack of services. We have a lot of parents who have all the will in the world to give the best opportunities for their children, but have so many barriers to do so. We also have so many parents who are overwhelmed and tired of constantly trying to survive that they don’t have the capacity to play with their children. That’s why we intervene and try to support them in their roles and also find solutions with them.
How can our readers help?
First of all, by volunteering! We have a lot of opportunities for volunteering, and we don’t ask for a rigid commitment. We really go with the interest of the volunteer and the time they can give. We happen to have an empty spot to fill on our Board of directors, so if you want to be involved in your community and want the better for our children, you are more than welcome to reach us! The second way is to donate if you can. Community organizations are often underfunded, and they need tremendous work to be accepted for funding. We have to be really creative to pursue all our great initiatives!
Do you have any events coming up?
We have our mini-gardens thriving all summer! We have 6 mini gardens in NDG and CDN. Everyone is welcome to join and come to the garden with us. Our gardens are a safe, free space for our community. We started that initiative in 2020 because a lot of families cannot make ends meet. Their sources of food were from food banks, and in the majority of the cases, both parents were working. The need for fresh vegetables is there, and it has gotten really bad. Gardening was also a wonderful way of increasing little ones’ capacities through playing and starting to teach them ecological awareness. So we started one mini garden in 2020 and now we are at six. Here is our schedule: Every Monday 10 AM to 11 AM at 2160 Grand Boulevard – Every Tuesday 5 PM to 6 PM at 7405 avenue Harley – Every Wednesday 1 PM to 2 PM at 3735 avenue Plamondon – Every Thursday 11 AM to 12 PM at 3465 avenue Benny and Every Friday 10 AM to 11 AM at Judith-Jasmin School and from 2 PM to 3 PM at Centre Mackay.
Where can we follow you?
Website | Facebook | Instagram
PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
There are so many: Women on the rise, The Depot, PAAL, La Maison Bleue, Auberge Shalom, Head and Hands, minibiblioPLUS, Vélorution CDN-NDG, Multicaf, Centre communautaire Westhaven, Centre communautaire Saint-Raymond, Conseil communautaire NDG, Bienvenue Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, CJE-NDG, and Centre Mountain Sights.
