Family Spotlight: Parents as Teachers
At the Family Resource Center of Sheboygan County, we love celebrating the incredible journeys of families who participate in our programs. No two families are the same, and that’s the heart of our work. We tailor guidance and resources to meet each family where they are, honoring their strengths and supporting their goals.
This story highlights the Slaminski family, who began their Parents as Teachers (PAT) journey when their little one was just six-months-old and who recently graduated from the program at age three.
A Journey of Growth & Learning
Jess and Adam Slaminski first connected with the Family Resource Center of Sheboygan County through the Community Partnership for Children (CPC) Screening event—a free, community-wide developmental screening opportunity for families that happens twice a year in Sheboygan County. This event offers developmental, hearing, and vision screenings for children ages 0–5, conducted by qualified professionals to help connect families with supports as early as possible.
During the event, their four-month-old son, Mason, was screened using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) by Brooke, one of FRC’s Parent Educators. It was through this screening that Jess and Adam learned Mason was showing some delays. At the event, Brooke compassionately discussed the screening results, helping the parents understand the options for next steps and the supports available, emphasizing the importance of early intervention and how different programs could support their son’s growth and development.
They share their emotions from the moment they learned about Mason’s developmental delay:
“As first-time parents, we thought, what did we do wrong for our child to be delayed? We were crushed. Did we hold him too much? Not put him on the play mat enough? Brooke reassured us that it will be ok! She talked to us during the screening event about different ways to help our son with his development. She showed us different [activities/suggestions] we could do at home. Through conversation, we [learned about] Parents as Teachers.”
After learning about the Family Resource Center’s Parents as Teachers program, Jess and Adam enrolled in the program, motivated to give their child the best start possible and to have help supporting his development. Through regular home visits, guided activities, and continued developmental screenings, the Slaminskis began receiving support from their Parent Educator Brooke. She also connected the family to the Birth to Three program and supported them through the referral process so that they began services with confidence. While Birth to Three provided in-home services centering on gross motor and communication skills to support Mason’s developmental delays, Brooke continued to visit Jess and Adam to help them learn developmentally appropriate parenting strategies, strengthen the parent-child bond, and support Mason’s development as well. Brooke and the Birth to Three team worked together to provide the family with the support they needed for three years. Jess reflects on their experience with the Birth to Three team:
“With the screening, we realized Mason wasn’t only delayed in gross motor but also other areas. They were there to help us with gross motor and communication.”
Over the course of three years which included biweekly home visits from Brooke and the Birth to Three team, Jess and Adam were given activities to do with Mason to help him continue to develop on track. In addition to supporting Mason’s development, Brooke continued to check in with the family’s well-being and help guide their parenting journey as well. With time and support, Mason’s development progressed. Jess recalls what it felt like to see Mason’s ASQ scores improve after receiving services from Birth to Three and Parents as Teachers:
“I remember the day we sat on the carpet together… [and] Mason was no longer in the ‘delayed’ area of anything. I was in tears knowing this was actually working for our son. Next time the screening came around, we sat down again, and Mason was in the ‘monitoring’ zone. How could that be?! Then we did another screening, and Mason was in the ‘no risk’ zone. I was so excited yet so sad. With Mason being in the ‘no risk’ zone, and hitting all the developmental milestones, I knew the end was coming. Instead of coming up with a new goal, we no longer had any goals to come up with, we were planning Masons’ graduation…”
With PAT and Birth to Three working hand in hand in Sheboygan County, the Slaminskis got the extra support they needed to help their child thrive. Even after the Birth to Three services ended, the family was still supported by their Parent Educator. They worked closely together, discussing topics such as:
- Early literacy and language development
- Social-emotional skills and self-regulation
- Health, nutrition, discipline, safety, attachment, brain development, sleep, and transitions
- Fun, age-appropriate activities to encourage learning at home
Together, these supports provided the Slaminski Family with knowledge, tools, and confidence to guide Mason’s development every step of the way.
Graduating with Confidence
As Mason recently graduated from PAT at the age of three, the Slaminski family feels prepared for the next stage of early childhood education. They leave the program with practical skills, knowledge, and confidence to continue supporting their child’s development. The family now has another child, and they already notice his progress and are feeling confident in their parenting skills. Jess states:
“Between Birth to Three and Parents as Teachers programs, we had countless hours together learning so many new skills to use for our child. Thankfully we had all this knowledge when our second child, Hunter, was born. With Hunter we didn’t feel so alone and clueless. We knew what we needed to do this time.”
Through their time in the Family Resource Center’s PAT program, the Slaminski family experienced several positive outcomes, including earlier referrals to services, greater knowledge of age-appropriate development, increased parenting confidence, and improved school readiness. Their story is a shining example of how PAT can positively impact families, helping children grow, parents learn, and families thrive together.
Jess concludes:
“There isn’t a magical handbook for first time parents, but there are magical people. Brooke from Parents as Teachers, and the staff at Birth to Three, changed our lives, and we are forever grateful.”
Thinking About Joining PAT?
If you are a parent interested in supporting your child’s development from infancy through preschool, our PAT program might be the perfect fit for your family. Check out our PAT website for more information, Parents As Teachers Program – Family Resource Center.
