Free child development programs available at medical clinic

The program, which begins with the six-month checkup and continues through age five, distributes age appropriate books designed to encourage families to read together.

National Center for Education statistics show that reading aloud to children stimulates brain activity and promotes vocabulary development.

Children with strong vocabulary skills are more likely to develop stronger reading abilities and enter school prepared to succeed.

"We are trying to create a reader. Through Reach Out and Read we want to promote a lifelong love of reading," Katherine Howe said. Howe acts as the learning coordinator for Learning Partners, based out of Livingston.

Learning Partners shared that by emphasizing the importance of reading from an early age, children learn to value books and education.

They also come to see their parents as teachers, and instruction from parents is paramount in the development of mammalian offspring.

Watching video footage of a blue whale being born quickly reveals the importance of its mother's role in teaching the newborn how to breathe.

Swimming side by side, the mother gently nudges her progeny toward the surface of the water, and without that initial nudge, there is a chance it may not learn to respire properly.

Hands-on parental instruction is so important that it forms the philosophical foundation for the Parents as Teachers program.

"Our guiding vision is that parents are the first and most influential teachers for their children," explained West Yellowstone-based PAT home visitor Sarah Grube.

Started in Missouri in 1981 as a pilot project for first-time parents, PAT developed a parenting program focused on increasing parental knowledge of early childhood development.

According to program literature, increased knowledge of childhood development kindles not only a strong parent-child relationship, but also appropriate ways to stimulate learning, which lays a solid foundation for success in school.

"Children are born learners and learn most from the people they love," Grube said.

In order to meet these goals, PAT relies on weekly, personalized home visits by certified parent educators.

One of the challenges involved with home visits is that some parents feel as though a parent educator threatens their authority and space.

"Parents don't like to feel like they are being judged, so we try our best to put them in the driver's seat. They make the final decision on the advice we offer because we feel that they are the experts on their own children," Livingston-based PAT home visitor Alli McClennen said.

Grube offered a possible solution to West Yellowstone parents who are interested in the program, but wary of home visits.

"Ideally, we would like to meet in the home, but meetings can also be held in the counselor's room at the medical clinic and possibly Little Geysers Daycare," she said.

Trained in child development, the PAT parent educators help parents understand what to expect in each stage of their child's development.

Rather than focus on theoretical models, they offer practical advice on encouraging learning and managing challenging behavior.

Employing a toy doll that both cried and cooed, the pair reenacted a behavior modeling session typical of a home visit.

McClennen played the role of a single mother struggling to put herself through college, while Grube acted as the parent educator.

McClennen mentioned how her fictional baby carried on crying into all hours of the night, costing her sleep and causing her stress.

Grube countered with some practical advice about how massage often calms a crying baby, allowing vexed parents to get some rest. 

Despite the element of humor that pervaded the skit, the pair managed to convey the relaxed, non-judgmental approach of a parent educator.

"I like to think of myself as a parenting coach, helping parents be the best parents they can be," said McClennen.

Additional facets of the PAT program include weekly group meetings for parents to share insights and experiences as well as periodic language, hearing and vision screening.

The purpose of the later is to provide early detection of possible problems and prevent difficulties later in school.

Grube serves areas including West Yellowstone and Island Park. 

The Parents as Teachers program is a free service and available to parents from the time of conception until their child's fourth birthday. Contact Sarah Grube at (406) 220-0941 for more information about both programs.