When the new Stroller Strides exercise class for moms debuted at Davie Park on Wednesday, Meaghan Hinckley was right there.
She wanted to meet other mothers, get out of the house and learn a new workout. And she wanted to enjoy what other exercise programs don't offer: a chance to keep baby Braeden by her side. Nestled in his stroller, the 3-month-old even became a part of her workout, as Hinckley held onto the stroller handle during lunges and pushed her child while power walking.
"You're able to exercise with your child, and that's important," Hinckley said.
The new class is a part of a burgeoning effort in south Mecklenburg to appeal to moms for both their bucks and brainpower.
Throughout the region, women are signing up for Mom Corps, a national effort in Charlotte and other cities to match stay-at-home moms with temporary work in their professional fields. In the Blakeney retail center, a cluster of new and relocated children's-themed businesses are opening -- from a salon to a gym. And in Ballantyne Village, entrepreneur Candace Khashman is banking on a children's yoga studio, expected to open this spring, to draw customers into her children's clothing store.
"Moms are looking for something to interact with their children," said Khashman, owner of Peek-A-Boo Couture, about her plan to add yoga. "It's soothing, it's calming, and they're not into watching television."
More families, more opportunities
The influx of families into south Mecklenburg makes the region ripe for such mom-based efforts, businesses say.Since the Mom Corps initiative came to Charlotte six months ago, more than 500 candidates have signed on and submitted rйsumйs for the chance to work -- including many from south Meck -- responding to fliers posted in coffee shops and word of mouth.
"I do have a huge database from that area," said April Whitlock, regional vice president overseeing the Charlotte effort.
After moms, even stay-at-home dads and grandparents, join Mom Corps for free, they're eligible for paid, temporary work in various fields. That includes accounting, marketing and the nonprofit sector.
"That area of town is a great candidate pool for us because there's so many newcomers," Whitlock said.
"The trailing spouse syndrome is a great Mom Corps candidate. Someone who has always worked, who had to work for financial reasons, then they move here, and they don't need two incomes to live here."
An upcoming Bureau of Labor Statistics study to be released next month shows more mothers dropping out of the work force to stay home with children. The trend cuts across income levels -- not just with wealthy families.
Previously reported findings show the work force participation rate of mothers of infants fell about 8 percentage points to 51 percent in 2004, compared with 1997. And Charlotte has a higher percentage of two-parent households with one parent working and the other not: 22.5 percent, compared with the 15.4 percent national average
Hits and misses
As businesses try to find the right formula to reach this group, some efforts don't always work.
The "Movie Mom" program at the Arboretum 12 moviehouse and its sister theaters in Charlotte ended last year due to lack of interest, said Marie McClaflin, marketing director for Consolidated Theaters, based in Charlotte. Organizers thought the midmorning showings, dim lights to facilitate breast feedings and low volume to protect infant ears would appeal to parents, McClaflin said. The program is very successful in other cities, she said.
Still, there's more to come. Belly Elan, a maternity boutique at Promenade on Providence, is looking to start educational classes in the spring, featuring lactation consultants and pediatricians coming in to answer questions, co-owner Casey Prince said.
Jennifer Sanderson, who launched the Stroller Strides franchise program at Davie Park, plans to offer more classes soon at Carolina Place Mall in Pineville. It's a workout rigorous enough to get mom Debbie Messner joking that she wouldn't be able to pick up daughter Julia, 11 months, afterwards. Still, Messner beamed -- and Julia smiled back -- when mom skipped by her stroller during an exercise move.
"She likes to watch people," Messner said. "This is something she'll have fun doing also. And meeting other moms is always a plus."
Want to Know More?
• Stroller Strides is holding another free exercise class at 9:30 a.m. Friday for moms and their babies in strollers at the conference center at William R. Davie Park, 4635 Pineville-Matthews Road. Paid classes run about $59 per month, depending on the membership package.
Details: www.strollerstrides.net/charlotte.
• The next Mom Corps monthly Charlotte luncheon will be at noon Jan. 31 at Maggiano's Little Italy Restaurant in SouthPark mall. The $10 cost is donated to Dress For Success, the nonprofit that helps low-income women enter the work force by providing them with interview clothes.
Details: www.momcorps.com
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