Editor’s Note: Once a month, The Bulletin’s Family section profiles a local organization designed to help families. To suggest an organization, contact Alandra Johnson at ajohnson@bendbulletin.com or 541-617-7860.

Is throwing fits like this a stage or should I be concerned?

What should I do if my husband and I have different parenting styles?

These are just a few of the many topics parents discuss in groups led by the local nonprofit Together for Children.

A group of eight to 10 parents, plus their young children, gather each week to learn about parenting and engage with their kids. The group has been operating for more than two decades in Central Oregon, aimed at families of children walking age up to age 4.

A new group session begins the week of Jan. 9. Parents throughout Central Oregon are invited to join.

Program manager Linda Gilpin has been working with parents in Together for Children for years. She enjoys offering parents tools to help them get through some tough toddler phases.

“We all need a little support,” said Gilpin. She says many nonprofits in town are focused on high-need and high-risk families. Together for Children is more focused on everyday problems facing everyday families.

“Anyone who has a kid is stressed,” said Gilpin. “We’re all high-need when we have a kid.”

During the first hour, an early childhood educator leads the parents and kids in an activity together.

Then, during the second hour, parents and kids split up. The kids go with the specialist to play more games, while parents get to talk about concerns, troubleshoot and learn research-based parenting tips.

Gilpin says the group has a curriculum, but it is flexible, depending on the needs and interests of each group.

Gilpin is able to help parents sort out what is a typical toddler phase and what is not. She also helps parents navigate some tricky young child behavior — like saying “no” to everything — and how to set limits effectively and avoid engaging in power struggles.

She helps parents learn “how to give children power and keep our own.”

Gilpin says the group isn’t like a parenting class, because it isn’t so rigid, but it is more organized and orchestrated than a playgroup. One of the best aspects of the groups, she says, is parents gaining the “sense of not being alone.”

What it is: Together for Children, an independent nonprofit helping families of young children connect.

Details: Two groups are starting in Bend the week of Jan. 9 — one in the morning, one midday — on Fridays at Summit High School. A third group will meet in Sisters on Wednesday mornings. Gilpin says she is also open to starting a group for parents of infants if there is enough interest. Each group will run for 10 weeks.

Cost: $150 per family; the group also partners with the Early Intervention program and offers free enrollment to families who qualify for EI services.

Contact: www.together-for-children.org or linda@together-for-children.org or 541-389-9317.