Parents as Teachers

Parents As Teachers - Maggie Arentsen

1. I volunteered my time at Parents as Teachers in Trenton, Illinois. Parents as Teachers is a state funded program for families who are pregnant, or for those who have a child or children between the ages of 0 and 5. Case management services are available for qualifying families. Families are continually being recruited, screened for eligibility and accepted for participation in the program. Services are offered to the family free of charge.This program includes: home visits, parenting classes, family workshops, group connections, field trips for families, etc. 

 

2. Parents as Teachers relate to FCS in so many ways. For example, the goal is to help the individuals, families, and communities. This organization relates to the disadvantaged family because most of these families in this program do not have all of the resources that are available. Another goal that this program has involves preventing child abuse and neglect. 

 

3. I networked with Janet Durkee and two different families.  By volunteering my time, I got the opportunity to do home visits and work with the children. Some of the activities that I participated in were different color games and reading books. I learned what Parents as Teachers is all about and I believe that it is an excellent program for families. I feel like I had an awesome experience and realized that this job would be something I would enjoy in the future. It makes me feel good about myself helping other families. 

 

4. The effect that Parents as Teachers has on the community is positive. This program is constantly helping the disadvantaged families. It develops strong partnerships between parents and schools, which can make the community a lot stronger. 

 

5. Overall, I enjoyed this experience. I think having an assignment like this is great! I feel like I made an impact on the two families just by participating in activities with them. I can only imagine how Mrs. Durkee feels on a daily basis. I feel like she has a positive effect on the families that she works with. I know this is a very rewarding job to have. In the future, I definitely would consider volunteering my time with this program again because I felt like I made an impact on their lives, as well as they did mine.