I don’t know about you, but I had some incorrect, preconceived notions about what Parents as Teachers did as an organization. Maybe because I’m conditioned to see things through a clinical lens, I always thought it was an organization for children who needed more accommodations in early childhood (as it turns out, I was thinking of First Steps, another fantastic organization). That said, it never crossed my mind to sign up. That is until I met up with a good friend/fellow contributor (hey, Kelly!), and during our time together, I lamented how I constantly have to research what developmental milestones Samuel should be meeting at any given time.
Here’s the thing about me: I will read and research a topic until my eyeballs bulge. This, coupled with the ridiculous amount of information that’s so easily accessible, pretty much drove me nuts in the process. After our outing, Kelly lovingly texted me and suggested that I explore Parents as Teachers, as it was hugely helpful for her family with her oldest. She explained how the program works and how supremely reassuring her parent educator was in those early childhood stages. Whoa. This was NOT what I was expecting. But, boy, Kelly was right.
That same day, you already KNOW what I did: I got to reading LOL. I e-mailed a coordinator, who then obtained our home address to determine which district we would utilize. After a few e-mails, we were set up with a parent educator that would be assigned to us throughout the duration of the program. I believe in signs, and I’ll be jumped up and down if our parent educator’s name is Kelly, too. Once a month, she comes to our home with an activity to play with Samuel that can assess his current knowledge base and suggest activities to enhance his skills. The goal is always to work on skills to help him develop into an independent, intelligent child. Samuel loves the activities, and Chris and I can learn some activities to continue in the future. She also covers a topic each visit, such as potty training, speech and language milestones, eating, etc., and provides handouts for us to review and keep. Additionally, she conducts screenings so we can do them early if additional intervention is recommended. This is precisely what I needed, and I didn’t have to search all over Beyonce’s internet to figure out what was best.
Another fantastic aspect of the organization is that each month, they e-mail a newsletter regarding updates within the district and opportunities for group connections. These free activities occur throughout the week and provide an opportunity to meet other parents and children. They also have parents-only opportunities, such as a book club and virtual meetings hosted by specialists. And to think, all of these are FREE.
As amazing as all of these things are, I would say the biggest gain from my parent educator is the reassurance that she provides. Listen, I may work with children, but when it comes to motherhood, I’m really winging it. It’s a blessing to have someone who reassures me that I’m on the right track and supports me by saying, “You’re doing a great job, Mom.” Whew. I know Kelly is assigned to Samuel, but she’s really here for me.
So, I said all that to say this: if you have a kiddo under five and live in Missouri, you should consider joining this wonderful organization. All of the school districts offer it free of charge. I promise you; you won’t regret it.
