Program Promotes Quality Family Time

 

‘Parents as Teachers’ Visits Families to Promote Child Learning and Development




 

Traci and Pino Lira, parents of 4-year old Penelope and 10-month old Rendon, both work full-time. Despite their hectic schedules, they are committed to fitting in as much quality family time as they can.



That’s why they enrolled in Parents as Teachers (PAT), a free home visiting program for families with kids ages five and under. In Yavapai County, the program is put on by Arizona’s Children Association with grant funding from First Things First.



Through PAT, the Lira family gets a visit every two weeks from Jodie, their parent educator, who brings simple, fun and inexpensive learning activities that they can do together as a family, assesses the development of the children, provides informational sheets about the children’s’ stages of development, and connects them to any other community resources they may need. The goal of the program is to partner with parents to make sure their young children are healthy, happy, and learning. “It’s great,” said Traci Lira. “Who would turn down a free, educational program for their kids?”



Pino Lira, who works as a Deputy Clerk for the County, knows that strong families are the foundation of a strong society, and has seen first-hand what happens when families do not have the information and resources that they need. “Nowadays, many families have both parents working and struggle to find time together,” said Lira. “For us, visits from Jodie are dedicated family bonding time. Plus, it’s educational for both parents and kids,” he said.



The Lira family enjoys a music activity brought over by Jodie,

 their Parents as Teachers Parent Educator

Pino Lira also said that nowadays, it’s difficult to comb through all the parenting information out there. “If you don’t have a degree in early childhood education, you don’t know everything about children’s development. With so many sources, it’s hard to know what’s best,” he said. Lira recommends Parents as Teachers to any family with a young child because it provides an expert source of parenting tools and knowledge. “If I need legal advice, I get a lawyer. If I need parenting advice, why not seek a parenting expert?” 

Lira said. The family also appreciates the convenience of the program. “Parents as Teachers comes to you and works with your schedule,” he said.

The Liras want the transition from home to kindergarten to be as smooth and easy as possible for Penelope and Rendon. With the tools and information they receive from PAT, Traci and Pino are confident that they are providing their kids with the knowledge and experiences they need to grow, learn, and succeed in school later on.  

Parents as Teachers is a free home visiting program for families with children ages prenatal to five years, available in both Spanish and English. For more information about the program or to enroll, please call Arizona’s Children Association at 1-888-771-3435 X2026.

 

Preschoolers Learn Fire Safety Skills

Local Retired Fire Safety Instructor Visits Prescott YMCA Preschool

 “Are matches toys or tools?” asked Crystal Macary to the twenty eagerly listening 4-year olds of the Prescott YMCA preschool.

“Tools!” the children shouted in unison.

“Do we play with matches?” asked Macary.

“No!” said the children.

Macary, a retired Fire Safety teacher who worked with the Central Yavapai Fire District for 19 years, volunteered to come in to the Prescott YMCA preschool to teach the children about the difference between toys and adult-only tools, including fire materials.  To do this, she brought a box of various items, including dolls, matches, toy cars, and lighters to teach kids about what’s ok to play with- and what’s not.

Crystal Macary teaches the Prescott YMCA preschoolers that lighters are a tool, not a toy.

 







Macary said that the younger kids are taught about fire safety, the better. “Children who receive fire training between the ages of three and six are 86% less likely to commit a fire offense,” said Macary. That’s why she spent her entire career giving trainings like these. Macary also said that most young kids she talks to can tell her exactly where their parents ‘hide’ their matches or lighters. “Through these trainings, we’re giving kids the skills to ‘say no’ to playing with fire-related materials, and if they encounter these materials, to tell a grown-up so that they can put them up and away.”

Sara Komadina, Director of Prescott YMCA preschool, was glad to bring in Macary -who happens to be the mother of one of her preschool teachers- to talk to her students. Komadina said that learning fire safety skills is critical for all young kids, but is especially important for children in Arizona, where wildfires are a well-known reality. “With the recent fire tragedies, children in Prescott have seen the impact of fire first-hand,” said Komadina. “We hope that if children encounter dangerous materials in the future, the skills and knowledge we have instilled in them through this training can help prevent accidents later on.”

 

The Prescott YMCA preschool is committed to providing quality early education for young children, and participates in Quality First, a First Things First quality-improvement program for early learning programs. To learn more about the Prescott YMCA preschool, please visit prescottymca.org or call (928) 445-7221.

 

Teen Parent Program Offers Support, Reduces Isolation



RhiAnne and her 4-month old daughter, Adalayh

 

When RhiAnne found out she was pregnant at age 16, the bullying and name calling she endured at school got so bad that she decided to drop out.

Fortunately, RhiAnne learned about a program called Teen Outreach Pregnancy Services (TOPS), a free program for adolescent parents funded by First Things First in Yavapai County. Through TOPS, teen moms and dads attend parenting classes, participate in weekly support groups, and receive in-person and on-call support from a registered nurse. The goal of TOPS is to make sure young mothers have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.

When she enrolled in TOPS, RhiAnne was relieved to find that it was a non-judgmental environment dedicated to supporting her and wellbeing of her baby. RhiAnne was also able to develop strong friendships with other young mothers, reducing her sense of isolation.

When the teen parents attend parenting classes, they are awarded “TOPS dollars” which they can use to buy necessities such as baby clothes and diapers at Jensen’s Corner, the TOPS store. RhiAnne said that given the cost of raising a child, this part of the program has been especially helpful.

RhiAnne is now the mother of a healthy 4-month old daughter, Adalayh. She said that becoming a mom has permanently changed her perspective on life. “I’ve been thinking about my life recently, and I realize that I’m now much more concerned with my daughter than with myself,” RhiAnne said.  “I want what’s best for her, and I know I have to do something with my life so that I can make a good life for her.”

Now, with the support and guidance of the TOPS program, RhiAnne has gone back to school to complete her GED and plans to pursue higher education. 

Kimberly, young mother of 9-month old Junior, enrolled in TOPS when she was five months pregnant. She says that having the personable, knowledgeable and non-judgmental support of the staff at TOPS has made a world of difference.  “Before TOPS, I knew nothing about pregnancy or raising a child,” said Kimberly. “TOPS has taught me everything I know about being a mother.”

With the guidance of TOPS, teens like RhiAnne and Kimberly are able to get the information and guidance they need to be the best parents they can be. For more information about TOPS or to refer a teen, please visit teenoutreachaz.org or call (928) 772-5590.

 



Program Partners with Parents to Strengthen Families

 

Parents as Teachers Works with Families to Boost Children’s Learning



Cheyloh, Tre and Ciel work on an activity together  during

a home visit from Jodie, their Parents as Teachers parent educator.

 

A year and a half ago, Cheyloh Hamilton, a single mother of two energetic young boys, was working two jobs, cooking over a wood stove, and had a house in dire need of repairs. She didn’t have it easy, but she was dedicated to giving her two sons, Ciel, now 4, and Tre, now 3, the best she could. Since 90% of a child’s brain develops before the age of five, Cheyloh wanted to make sure she could give the boys the experiences they needed to grow and learn to their full potential.

One day, when she was volunteering at the Community Pregnancy Center, Cheyloh learned about Parents as Teachers, a free home visiting program of Arizona’s Children Association. Through the program, which is made free for families with children ages 5 and under through a grant from First Things First, families receive visits every two weeks from their personal parent educator, who offers individualized parent education, provides tips and activities to help their children grow and learn, and connects the family to any other community resources available to them.

This was exactly what Cheyloh was looking for. “I wanted a program to help the boys with their learning and development,” Cheyloh said. Now, she and her boys look forward to visits every two weeks from Jodie, their Parents as Teachers parent educator. Every time she visits, Jodie gives Cheyloh information sheets on the boys’ stages of development and brings inexpensive activities she can do to boost their cognitive, social, physical or behavioral skills.  “We love the whole program,” said Cheyloh. “The activities have helped the boys with their development, speech, and many other skills.”

With the help of the program, Cheyloh and the boys have set aside family time each day dedicated to reading and learning.  Parents as Teachers has also helped Cheyloh develop skills to parent her two very different boys. Ciel is sharp-minded and calm, whereas Tre is more adventurous and sensitive. Cheyloh wants to make sure that she nurtures their individual personalities and strengths. “Parents as Teachers is based on your child, wherever they’re at and whatever they need,” Cheyloh said.

Parents as Teachers has also personally helped Cheyloh, who sometimes suffers from anxiety, with the challenges of being a single mother. “It’s helped me get through this past year and a half,” said Cheyloh about the program. “Parents as Teachers has had a big impact. It brought our family together, connected us to resources, lessened my anxiety and strengthened my parenting.”

Cheyloh is grateful for her partnership with Parents as Teachers as her boys continue to grow, and recommends Parents as Teachers to all families with young children that she knows. “Many people don’t know about Parents as Teachers, but I believe more people need this,” said Cheyloh.

If your family has a young child age 5 or younger and you would like to enroll in Parents as Teachers, please call 1-888-771-3435 X 2026. The program is completely free and available in both English and Spanish.

 

 

Fire Safety Taught Early

The Prescott Fire Department Visits Local Preschools

The earlier fire safety skills are taught to a child, the better. To help make sure every member of the family is prepared for a fire emergency – including toddlers and preschoolers- parents and caregivers should talk to their young children about fire safety and practice basic skills at home.

“The most important thing that parents can teach their children is to know two ways out of the house, and to practice these two ways,” said Len DeJoria, Fire Inspector and Coordinator of Public Education at the Prescott Fire Department. “Families should also have a designated outdoor place to meet if an emergency were to happen, and practice going to it.”

The Prescott Fire Department staff and firefighters regularly visit school and preschool classrooms to teach children about fire safety. “During our presentations, we strive to make an impact on kids so that if they’re in an emergency situation, they’ll remember what to do,” said DeJoria. “Hopefully, they will remember the skills we teach them all their lives.”

In a fire emergency, it is important for children to run towards, not away from, firefighters. “With the bulky suit and the Darth Vader-like voice, young children can be scared of firefighters and hide from them,” said DeJoria. During their presentation, the Fire Department allows the children to see and meet a firefighter in full gear.

The Del E. Webb Family Enrichment Center, a child care center and preschool in Prescott for children ages five and under, has invited firefighters to visit their classrooms. Tammy Lee, Master Teacher at the center, said that showing a firefighter in full gear is especially helpful for her preschoolers. “[The firefighter] introduced all the different pieces of clothing he has to wear and the reasons they protect him. He proceeded to put on the articles of clothing and explained to the children to not be afraid if they ever seen someone in this uniform- that they are there to help us when there is a fire,” said Lee.

Some of the other skills the Fire Department teaches, which parents and caregivers are encouraged to practice with their kids, include:

· Stop, drop and roll

· Crawl low under smoke

· Testing smoke detectors (letting children hear the smoke detector sound and making sure they know that it is a signal to leave the house)

For more tips and skills, Fire Inspector DeJoria also recommends that parents of young children visit the U.S. Fire Department Administration website, which includes a pre-K fire safety curriculum designed by Sesame Street. For educators that are interested in bringing in the Fire Department to offer a training to children, the Prescott Fire Department public education division can be reached at (928)-777-1765.