Team Inc. to host baby shower with resources for Waterbury families

Expectant parents and new families in Greater Waterbury had a one-stop chance for practical help at Team Inc., where a community baby shower brought together baby supplies, safety support and referrals from local providers.

The event took place Thursday, May 21, at 25 Rumford Street in Waterbury and was hosted by Team Inc. with Wheeler Health and Substance Exposed Pregnancy Initiative CT, known as SEPI-CT. The gathering was open to expectant families and new parents from Greater Waterbury, Litchfield County, Danbury, Cheshire, Newtown, Torrington, Naugatuck and surrounding towns, making it a regional stop for families who may need more than a single appointment or agency visit to connect with services.

The baby shower was designed less like a gift-opening party and more like an access point. Families were able to find WIC resources, local home visiting programs, Birth to Three information, giveaways, door prizes, and a car seat safety clinic, along with community resources from partner agencies. A SEPI-CT flyer said gift bags filled with baby items were available first come, first served, while another listed housing and childcare among the supports on hand.

That service-heavy format matches the role Team Inc. already plays in the area. The private, not-for-profit human services organization serves economically disadvantaged and vulnerable at-risk residents and provides Early Childhood and Head Start services in Waterbury and Naugatuck. Its early childhood programs serve children from prenatal age through age 5, a span that fits naturally with an event built around pregnancy, infant care and early family stabilization.

SEPI-CT has helped make community baby showers part of a wider statewide support network for infants born substance-exposed and their families. The initiative says it works with providers, community agencies and families across Connecticut, and state materials show it is overseen by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in partnership with the Department of Children and Families and Wheeler Clinic. SEPI-CT also said it hosted five free regional community baby showers in fall 2024 and spring 2025, underscoring that the Waterbury event was part of an established outreach model rather than a one-time gathering.

Funding for the Waterbury shower came from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, according to SEPI-CT and Wheeler Health materials. For families trying to figure out where to start, the point was clear: bring the baby shower, the resource table and the provider network into the same room.