Vision

Here's my vision of a conversation between a parent and myself after the program has been available for 1-2 years. I've used the word "we" instead of "I" because I know that it is going to take more people than just myself to really make this happen.
 

“Hi Mary. Thanks for coming in and sharing your experience with us about this program.” “I’m happy to give my thoughts about this program. It has been a wonderful experience for my family.” “That’s great to hear. Let’s start with having you tell about your family.” “My husband and I have two small children. Our son is 3 years old and our daughter is 18 months. We both work full time outside of the home and so our children attend a home-based daycare. The best times for us to participate in community activities are nights and weekends. We found that many of the language rich experiences were being offered during the day but that was just not an option for us.” “It sounds like the variety of times and days made this program appealing to you. We worked hard to offer day, evening and weekend times for all of our activities so that we could reach as many families as possible. Tell us about some of your favorite activities offered through this program.”

“There were so many opportunities for language rich activities. Both of my children enjoyed the story times followed by a special make and take craft. A favorite was making a puppet and putting on a puppet show. The puppets are something that we often use at home and we have fun listening to their vocabularies grow as they tell stories using their puppets. Another favorite activity was the music class offered. My children had so much fun learning new songs about new topics. The instruments that we were introduced to gave us opportunities for new language. We were even given two take home instruments. Now we can have music nights at home and make up even more new songs. We were also given a CD of the songs used in the music class. The kids love singing along with these as we drive to daycare each day.”

“By participating in this program we also receive a picture book each month for each of our children. The kids love opening their package with their new book inside. Reading these books together allows us to show the joy in reading and talking about a story. Our home library has grown so much because of this program.”

“We’re so happy to hear that your family has had success with the program. Our goal was to create opportunities for rich language development. From what you have said it sounds like that is happening. Can you talk about how this program has increased your awareness on the importance of language development in children ages 0-5?”

“I have learned so much about language development through this program. During the monthly parent meetings, with childcare provided, I was able to see that I am my children's first teacher and that what we do as a family in our home helps our children not only be prepared for kindergarten but also for life long learning. The research that was presented during these meetings really made an impact on how I look at my role in my children's education. I feel more confident now that I’ve had this instruction on language development. What I’ve learned now is also going to benefit my children as they get older. I would recommend this program to anyone who has children ages 0-5.”

“We are so excited to know that you have had a positive experience with this program. It is our goal to support families in the area of language development through a variety of activities and information. Thank you for being your child’s first teacher.”