Cover story,
Batesville mother, daughter work to keep children ahead of the curve
Johana Gonzalez, 22, and her mother, Maribel Cruz, 43, don’t have any preschool-age children. In fact, Gonzalez doesn’t have any at all. However, to someone just happening to overhear them talking together, it would seem like they each have several — all age 5 and younger.
Cruz and Gonzalez are two of 11 parent educators who help to prepare children in the Batesville School District for kindergarten as part of the Parents as Teachers program. This nationally recognized program provides a curriculum that parent educators administer through home visits, during which they give children the educational boost needed to excel in kindergarten. On a monthly basis, Gonzalez is responsible for visiting 31 families, and Cruz visits 43.
On each visit, the parent educators take simple activities designed to help children develop skills needed for success in their first year of school. The activities normally focus on one skill per month, and on the next visit, the educators follow up with parents and children to track their development. The Batesville program serves about 350 families, said Lorrie McClure, who coordinates Parents as Teachers and Supplementary Programs for the district.
“Who knew picking up cotton balls with clothespins can help with the fine motor skills kids need to get ready for writing?” she said. “Before this program, kids were entering kindergarten, and some kids were vastly ahead of others, and it is not really fair for kids to start out behind. This program helps to level the playing field.”
There is, however, an important factor that gives Gonzalez and Cruz an edge in the program: They are both bilingual and can help make a child’s transition from a Spanish-speaking home into an English-speaking school a bit easier.
Gonzalez was born in California and moved to Arkansas as a teenager. She is completely comfortable speaking both languages and is able to work effectively with both English- and Spanish-speaking families.
“I was born [in the United States], but my culture is Mexican,” Gonzalez said. “I have to know English and Spanish stuff. I have to know both worlds. It always seemed like I didn’t fit into either one.”
Cruz, on the other hand, was born in Mexico and moved to California without the ability to speak fluent English. Knowing the struggle of being in an English-speaking world while speaking mostly Spanish, she feels driven to focus primarily on the Spanish-speaking households.
“At first when I moved from Mexico, it was bad, and I wanted to go back because I could not speak any English, and it was frustrating,” Cruz said. “In California, a lot of people spoke Spanish, but when I came here, I had to work more on my English, and I am still working.”
Cruz began working as a parent educator after hearing about the program through her pastor’s wife almost five years ago. She said she had never considered working in the education system, but she did have some experience with teaching Sunday School classes. Once she realized the number of Hispanic children she could help get a better education, she was hooked. McClure said that once Cruz became a member of her staff, the program doubled in size within about six months.
“Maribel opened the door for help for a lot of kids because many [English as a second language] students come to school with very little language skills,” McClure said. “The impact on the district has been significant because Maribel does her best to get them quality preschool. Many Hispanic families come in and don’t know about preschool options. All they know is that they go to kindergarten. She is passionate about changing that.”
Cruz soon found that not only was she making a
difference in the early education of Hispanic children; she was also finding that the children enjoyed working with her, and before long, she became an important influence for the families and the children.
“There are some kids that are just waiting for us to get there, and they can’t wait to start the activity,” Cruz said.
Once Gonzalez turned 18, she began to consider following in her mother’s footsteps as a parent educator but was hesitant because she thought she lacked the parenting experience she believed was necessary for the position. After giving the program a try as a part-time employee, she found that the experience was helping her to become more comfortable with interpersonal communication, in addition to teaching her valuable skills related to interactions with children.
“I am not very sociable, but with this job, I have had to overcome that, and I have had to meet people,” she said. “I love going to work. If I am a little stressed, I will just go to a home visit and visit with the parent and the child, and I feel so much better afterward. I like to see that I am making a difference in their lives, and they remember you.”
After becoming a full-time parent educator, Gonzalez found her own niche in a special area of the program that places an emphasis on teen moms.
McClure said that even though Gonzalez is not the only parent educator who works with teen moms in the program, she is a key part of the program because she projects an energetic, hardworking manner and thrives in helping people her own age. Since many teenage moms view parent educators in an authoritarian light, McClure said Gonzalez’ youth makes her appear as a friend to lean on instead.
“Moms seem to keep visits more with Johana than they do with people that they think are trying to tell them what to do,” McClure added. “I did have some reservations because she is young, but her families will listen [to her], and she has developed a rapport with the families.”
Gonzalez and Cruz, of course, value the educational influence their jobs provide, but what is equally important to the two is the bonds they develop with each child and family.
“I like to help them, even if they call us and say, ‘Come with me to this appointment,’” Cruz said. “I will do anything that is related to helping the kids.”
In addition to providing specialized curriculum for children until they enter kindergarten, the Parents as Teachers program offers education for pregnant mothers as well, which allows Gonzalez and Cruz to interact with a child from the very beginning.
Another part of the program involves offering each family resources that can aid in all aspects of a child’s development. Since Gonzalez and Cruz are both from a Hispanic background, they are also sensitive to the cultural differences that can separate those families from others in the district.
“For example, when [Hispanic] children are in preschool, the kids will get sick, and the parents will send them to school with sweaters on,” Cruz said. “In our countries, our children are bundled up if they are getting sick. It is just a part of the culture.”
Even though Cruz and Gonzalez both have a
I love going to work. If I am a little stressed, I will just go to a home visit and visit with the parent and the child, and I feel so much better afterward. I like to see that I am making a difference in their lives, and they remember you.”
JOHANA GONZALEZ OF BATESVILLE
reserved nature, McClure said she has seen them both make great advancements, not only for the program but also on a personal level.
“They’re both actually very quiet, but when you are home-visiting, you have to dialogue and converse, and they have some excellent communication skills, and that goes for working with families and when we have training meetings,” McClure said. “I would even feel comfortable letting them go speak to the school board if needed. They have developed really good communication skills and are an asset to the program.”