Program helps parents foster children's early development story by
LISA MACKINDER
photography by
“H-A-L-L-E-L-U-J-A-H.” Two-year-old Kar’Mon Coleman names the letters as his mother, Talia Coleman, points to each one. The toddler doesn’t miss a beat. “What does that spell?” she asks. “Hallelujah!” Kar’Mon exclaims. When Kar’Mon reached about 1 1/2 years old, Talia and Kareem Coleman realized that their son recognized his written name. They mentioned it to Bianca Harris, a parent educator with the Parents as Teachers program (PAT) at the Elizabeth Upjohn Community Healing Center, in Kalamazoo. Upon learning that Kar’Mon identified his written name, Harris suggested that the Colemans create a word book for Kar’Mon, starting with simple words like “cat” and “bat.” Now Kar’Mon knows all the letters of the alphabet and reads a litany of words such as “juice,” “worship” and, of course, “hallelujah.” PAT is a national program in which parent educators such as Harris visit the homes of parents and teach them ways to increase their child’s communication skills, intellectual development, socioemotional growth and fine motor skills — in effect helping the parents become their child’s “best first teacher,” according to the Parents as Teachers National Center. The thinking behind PAT is that parents participating in the program become more knowledgeable in all of those developmental areas and can recognize their child’s developmental strengths and potential delays, ensuring that the child gets the best start in life. A hopedfor result of PAT is to raise a child’s school readiness and odds of future school success. In Kalamazoo County, PAT parent educators visit with families of children from infancy to 3 years old. The families come from all walks of life, across the economic spectrum, and live in rural, suburban and urban settings.
Talia Coleman works with her 2-year-old son Kar’Mon on recognizing numbers, including the spelling of the words.
20 | ENCORE MAY 2016
BRIAN POWERS
When Harris first arrives at the Colemans’ home on this day, with her blue and black duffle bag full of tools – balls, color charts and other materials – Kar’Mon races over expectantly, peeking inside the bag and pulling out a ball. He’s eager to learn. So is his mom, who wants the best for her son. And Harris, extremely personable and knowledgeable in her area of expertise, is ready to get started too.
Boots on the ground
Sally Reames — executive director of the Community Healing Centers (CHC), one of the community partners in the PAT program — refers to Harris and the other parent educators as its “boots on the ground.” Reames says that when Harris interviewed for the position, the program snatched her right up. But Harris almost missed the opportunity to wear those educational boots because she initially planned to don a stethoscope and white doctor’s coat instead. “I kind of knew I wanted to do something in the teaching field,” she admits. “I tried to run from it because everyone in my family are teachers and professors. So when I was growing up, everyone said, ‘You’re going to be a teacher,’ and I said, ‘No, I’m not.’” Harris attended Western Michigan University as a pre-med student, but becoming a doctor didn’t suit her.