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PICL program brings families with infants together for learning, discussions
At the Pattonville Early Childhood Center, toddlers colored on the walls, painted on boxes and tossed colorful crinkle paper around the room, all while babies bounced on their parent’s lap. This was structured fun for the children and an opportunity for parents to talk to and learn from each other. This monthly opportunity, provided by the Pattonville Parents as Teachers (PAT) program is called PICL, which stands for Play Imagine Connect Learn.
PICL is a group for families with children from birth to 36 months old. After that, families can move into the group connections program for children aged 3 to 5 years old. The meetings are fun and interactive, designed for parents and children to, as the name implies, to play, imagine, connect and learn together. It’s also for parents to interact with others who have children in a similar stage of life. Early childhood parent educator Krysteen Euson facilitates these monthly groups.
“Over the last few years, I have observed some great connections between the families who attend,” Euson said. “It’s so fulfilling to see the developmental growth of their children each month. I have seen the start of close friendships, planned play dates and family members sharing resources with each other about their favorite library story time, parks or outdoor activities, just to mention a few.
Each month, Euson sets a theme for the group to help facilitate learning and engagement between children and families. Some of the activities this year have centered around the benefits of play, supporting and enhancing developing motor skills, car seat safety and learning about family through traditions. The February meeting focused on thinking inside the box, with space set up for children to climb, crawl, paint, draw and read. Many of the activities featured recycled delivery boxes, including creating a boxed sled that kids could be pulled around in by their parents.
“These PICL groups are a great opportunity to get together, talk, learn, have fun, collaborate and even facilitate an activity,” Euson said.
The support within the group has even extended to families volunteering to facilitate a PICL or group connection meeting to share an interest or talent of their own.
“Every time we come here, it’s just hearing other parents’ stories, what they say about how they’re feeding their kid, how their kid sleeps, what their kid does, things they enjoy doing or even things like new parks to go to,” PICL parent Kyle Howdeshell said. “It’s always beneficial talking to other parents here as well as seeing what other kids are doing and getting ideas from other people.”
William and Vonya Church had their first PICL meeting in February and their first PAT meeting the month prior.
“This is our second interaction with PAT,” Vonya Church said. “It’s been super resourceful, super helpful. We’re excited to get resources and strategies. I highly recommend it. If anyone you know is looking, they can get this resource. It’s been great.”
William Church agreed and looks forward to future PICL meetings.
“We’ll definitely be back,” William Church said. “It was a very wonderful experience to get the kids out interacting with one another and put the screens down.”
Euson knows many of the families at PICL from working with them in the PAT program. With PAT, a parent educator makes home visits to families to work individually with them on their child’s development. PICL provides those families an opportunity to meet, talk and gain insights from one another.
“Stella was our first (child) and of everybody we talked to — family, medical professionals, all of that — Krysteen was the one that made us feel the most confident, like we were doing things the right way or whatever our daughter needed” said Howdeshell, whose family has had monthly PAT visits since Stella was three months old. “I feel like the early childhood development stuff is what really gave us that knowledge that this is normal. It’s amazing. We’ve told everybody we know who has kids to do PAT because it’s beneficial in so many ways. Stella is not super outgoing. She always had to warm up to people and it felt like she warmed up to Krysteen quicker because of her approach. Krysteen learns what type of kid you are and approaches you in the manner that makes sense. Krysteen’s the best; we love her! I have only positive things to say about Parents as Teachers, and PICL has been great.”
