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Rosa Rosa had three young boys all under the age of 5 and another baby on the way. She lived with her children and her husband in an old farm house that was in very poor condition. The first time the Home Visitor, Martha, came to visit, she was instantly moved by this loving family. They were working very hard to make a life for themselves, but it was apparent that they were struggling. Marhta provided Rosa with information on local food banks and other services. The family had needs ranging from pre-natal care to better housing. Developmental assessments revealed that two of Rosa’s sons were experiencing possible language and cognitive delays. Martha helped get the boys evaluated and referred for services. With the help and support of Martha and other staff at her program, Rosa and her family started making changes in their lives. They moved from the old farmhouse to an apartment, which better met their needs. Rosa’s sons received support and services to help them increase their language and cognitive development. Rosa had one more change that she wanted to make. She wanted to become a Home Visitor herself. During Rosa’s interview, she explained how much she enjoyed the program and how helpful it had been for her family. Not only did she spend more time with her children, she was more confident in her ability to support them in their education. Rosa was hired as a Home Visitor and jumped into her new assignment with energy and enthusiasm. She quickly learned the requirements of her job and began working with families. “Now, life is better”, says Rosa, “We have more money and can pay our bills. We have a better place to live. We spend more time together as a family. My boys, they get the help they need. It’s good.” Rosa successfully completed her first year as an home visitor and is looking forward to starting her second term. |
Marta and Jovanni
Marta reported that after 3 months in the program, her son Jovanni had quickly learned his numbers, shapes and colors. She was amazed at the speed in which he had picked up the concepts and was convinced that he never would have learned so much if he had just been at home with her without an educational curriculum to follow. She reported that both she and Jovanni have loved doing the hands-on activities together and never knew that learning could be so much fun, which has furthered Jovanni's eagerness to start Kindergarten in August. The family's Home Visitor encouraged Marta to have Jovanni tested for the gifted program. Marta has even researched her local schools to determine their academic rating and plans to be very involved to ensure that her son receives challenging assignments that will keep him engaged and interested in learning! |
Ana
Ana was a fifteen-year-old single mother of a toddler son and a premature daughter when she enrolled in the Parents as Teachers program. Her main reason for participating in PAT was to learn effective techniques to set limits for her son without physically hurting him. She explained that she had been physically disciplined as a child and she wanted to do it differently with her own children. Ana was also struggling with a seizure disorder, dyslexia and learning disabilities, and by her own admission, she read at a fourth grade level. She was hoping to give her children a better chance at school success than she had experienced. Each morning Ana would take several buses to drop her children off at a child care center, go to her high school to complete graduation requirements, and then reverse the process in the afternoon. After two years, she finally earned her high school diploma. She was keenly interested in the information on child development that the PAT program provided. Sometimes she had a difficult time understanding the more technical terminology, but she wasn’t afraid to ask questions or to have her PAT Parent Educator explain a concept to her until she grasped it. Ana followed all of the suggestions for parent-child interaction that the program had to offer, and she asked for supplemental activities over the summer that she could do with her children to further enhance their development. She got a library card and made regular trips to check out books, which she faithfully read to her son and daughter. Ana’s son would bring home order forms for paperback books from the child care center, and even though money was in short supply, Ana tried to have a little bit left over at the end of the month so that she could purchase a book or two for her children. All of Ana’s children are now strong students. They have won awards for academic performance, school attendance and good citizenship. Ana is a regular school volunteer and credits Parents as Teachers with making the difference in the lives of her children that led to their academic success. |