Dawn Xavier had only been living in Quebec for a couple of years when she had her first daughter, so she didn’t speak a lot of French. When she attended the CLSC’s breastfeeding classes in Laval, she says she was unable to connect with others because of the language barrier.

Xavier looked for classes in English but found that they were only available on the island of Montreal. “I remember feeling very lonely,” she says. So, after she had her second child, Xavier decided to start a meet-up group for English moms in Laval and the North Shore. “It turned out there were many frustrated moms looking for support and services,” Xavier says. “When I saw how much of a difference it made in their lives, I decided to keep it going and registered [Carrefour Mom n’ Tots] as a non-profit organization last January.”

The weekly playgroup is run out of Anjali Mudra Yoga in Ste. Dorothée every Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m at a cost of $10. There is a new theme each week for the mothers followed by free play for children under the age of 3.

The winter classes will run for 12 weeks starting Jan. 11.

Xavier hopes to include and incorporate prenatal classes, CPR training, fitness, yoga, breastfeeding and other educational workshops.

For more information, visit momsntotsplay.com.