Intervention before Kindergarten makes collaboration with WIC worthwhile

The Parents as Teachers @ WIC program began with a Ready to Learn grant funded through the Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement and continues with an extensive community partnership that includes the Mayor’s Commission for Children, Springfield Public Schools, Springfield/Greene County Library, the Community Partnership of the Ozarks and the Burrell Behavioral Health Center.

At first, this collaboration was thought to be an avenue to reach “at risk” families whom were not comfortable or receptive to having a parent educator in their home. However, I have found this not to be the case, but rather most families had never heard about Parents as Teachers or knew very little about it.

As a parent educator, many times I have sat across from a child while administering the Kindergarten screening very much aware that “this” child is not prepared to enter Kindergarten. Reaching more families through this collaboration and meeting the President’s national education goals “that all children enter school ready to learn” is such an opportunity!

One example of this timely intervention happened with a grandmother who had legal guardianship of her 3-year-old grandson. She was introduced to me by a nutritionist. The grandmother voiced concerns about her grandson’s development, saying that she was “at a loss” about how to help him. The nutritionist noticed the child’s lack of eye contact and social interaction. I administered the Dial 3 Development Screening and recommended that she also schedule a vision and hearing screening. Our Early Childhood Special Education team reviewed all the results and found that her grandson qualified for services with our Early Childhood Special Education program. Grandma told me that she felt like “the weight of the world” had been lifted off her shoulders.

The intervention before Kindergarten in cases like this is what inspires me and makes this collaboration with WIC so very worthwhile!

Geri Upp, parent educator
Parents as Teachers @ WIC
Springfield, Missouri