Family Educators at Lund’s residential treatment program for substance use and mental health disorders facilitate groups covering a wide range of therapeutic, parenting and life skills topics. Pregnant and parenting women living at the program attend these groups as part of their individual treatment plans. ‘Read All About It’ was a group recently offered by Family Educator Amanda Schauwecker, MS, and attended by six clients parenting children ranging in age from babies of a few months to 5 year olds heading to kindergarten this fall. Learn more about this group from Amanda:
1.What was the goal of the Read All About It class?
Amanda: I wanted to help moms understand the importance of reading to their children at an early age and how to teach a love of books and reading to children. I also wanted moms to learn how to use books as a teaching tool.
2. What do you think are the advantages for Lund clients in particular, of reading to their children?
Amanda: So many benefits!!! It helps with the parent-child attachment, it helps with language development, social skills, fine motor skills, it helps children learn and develop empathy. Reading at an early age sets children up for success in school down the road.
3. What sort of things did you do during the class?
Amanda: We learned about different children’s authors, we compiled a list of topics that moms wanted help talking to their children about (such as death, an incarcerated parent, divorce, etc) and I brought books to address these topics with their children. We watched a BBC documentary about children from the same kindergarten class learning to read over the course of a school year, the various challenges they faced, and how their families supported them in increasing their ability to read. We also had Rebecca Goldberg from the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington come to talk about programs that the library offers and set all of the moms up with library cards; a few weeks later, we took a field trip to the library for a tour and to take out books.
4. What is your favorite children’s book and why?
Amanda: I really love books so this is a tough question! Never Tease a Weasel is a book that my mom had as a child that I really loved as a kid; it’s about being kind, but I think my favorite book was The Monster at the End of the Book with Grover from Sesame Street. It’s funny and parents can really get into it. I usually get that book and Don’t Push The Button for friends and family who are having babies because they’re entertaining for both the parent and the child. I also really like And Tango Makes Three which is a really sweet story based on the true story of two male penguins from the Central Park Zoo hatching an egg together.
We also spoke with Rebecca Goldberg from the Fletcher Free Library about her experience working with Amanda’s class. Rebecca repeated several times during her visit to Lund that one of her main goals is to get as many children and parents as possible into the library to borrow books and to access programming. She was also keen to hear from the moms at Lund about what would make coming to the library easier for them and was very open to all their suggestions, one of which even helped to hasten work to get a Mamava nursing pod onsite at the library. Community collaboration at its very best!
“As Fletcher Free Library’s Youth Services Librarian, I was thrilled to visit with Family Education class participants at Lund, and to then share time with Lund clients at the Library a few weeks later,” says Rebecca. “Parents, you are your children’s very first teachers, which can seem a bit daunting! But with skills and practice parenting can be rewarding and lots of fun! Fletcher Free Library, YOUR public library is here to give you support and enrichment with free books and other materials, recommendations, and free programs that model ways for you to interact with your babies as they grow to become successful in life. By talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing with your babies and toddlers at the library, at home and around town, you are stimulating their brain development, building their literacy skills, and establishing strong bonds as parents. Please stop by the Fletcher Free Library and ask how we can help! Hope to see you again soon.”
Thank you to our friends at the library for creating a welcome space full of such exciting potential for all families in Burlington and the surrounding community.
