In about 10 weeks Renee Stouffer will deliver her second child, but even with Mother’s Day right around the corner she looks at it as day for her mom.

“It’s a day to honor and thank my mom,” Stouffer said. “I still look to do something for my mom.”

Stouffer and her daughter Sarah, 3, are among a group of about 16 youngsters and their parents, grandparents or caregivers who participate in the Play and Learn program at the Greater Maple Valley Community Center.

This is where she thinks like a mom since Sarah is still a little young to understand what Mother’s Day means for her mommy.

“It helps a lot because it teaches socialization for my daughter,” Stouffer said. “It gets you connected with other parents. And it allows you to see the different development stages.”

Brandy Rowland, who is the instructor for the Play and Learn program, is excited to be able to help other moms through her class.

“I have a lot of parents that get advice from each other,” Rowland said. “You are your child’s first and best teacher. It’s all about sharing ideas.”

Play and Learn is a co-op, Rowland explained, so it is an affordable program for parents who want to help their kids get ready for kindergarten by learning basic skills.

Sometimes moms will come to Rowland asking if what their kids are doing “is normal” and one of the benefits of the class, which meets Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year, is to give them a perspective on development.

“They see other kids doing the same thing their kids do,” Rowland said. “We give them the tools so they can be a teacher for their kids their whole life.”

And she can relate as a mom to Joshua, 6, and Caleb, 3.

“I have the best of both worlds,” Rowland said. “I can have my kids with me at work.”

And Mother’s Day is important to her because it recognizes that it’s a 24 hour a day, seven day a week job.

“It’s celebrating the day in, day out work that moms do,” Rowland said.