CHP Family Services of southern Berkshire's ParentChild+ Program is now enrolling new families!
This FREE program is for children 16 months to 3.5 years old and their caregivers and is available to all families in south Berkshire County. The ParentChild+ program is a free, nationwide mentoring program, operating in several locations in the Berkshires, that helps young children (ages 16 months to 3.5 years), and their families get ready for the transition to school.
Why should families sign up for the ParentChild+ Program? Well, did you know that children have only 1,800 days from birth to the start of kindergarten? With each of these days being critical to their school readiness and success, too many children fall behind before they even set foot in a classroom and they struggle to catch up. But that's where ParentChild+ comes in, providing opportunities for early intervention and preempt falling behind. CHP helps families find the path to school readiness and succeed together.
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So, what can you expect?
Twice a week, a trained Early Learning Mentor will visit with both the child and caregiver for approximately 30 minutes. Schedules are made with caregiver availability in mind. Each week the family will receive a free book or educational toy for the family to keep! Mentors will share reading and playing skills with caregivers to enhance child development and eventual success in school. The program is offered for 23 weeks and follows the local public school calendar. These visits aim to empower caregivers by sharing knowledge, skills, and resources to start early education in their own home, give the child the skills needed for success in school, and strengthen caregiver-child attachment to build family resilience.
The program is offered in southern Berkshire County from Lenox to Ashley Falls. Spanish-speaking mentors are also available.
For questions, reach out to ParentChild+ Home Program Coordinator Katelyn Parks (413) 528-0457 or kparks@chpberkshires.org
Read on for a Early Learning Mentor success story:
"I began my work with the Parent Child+ program in late January and was able to see right away just how important it can be to members of the community. I began visits with a twenty-two-month-old with their mother in February. The mother and child both seemed happy to begin and were very welcoming to our program. The child’s mother mentioned that they hadn’t had many social opportunities because of their concerns for health during the pandemic. Mom seemed very engaged and involved with the child, who seemed very happy and outgoing. Mom had mentioned she wasn’t sure about where her child should be developmentally and didn’t have many other people in their life with children. The child was eager for our visits and always easy to engage but seemed behind in speech development for their age. During our visits I was able to talk with the mother about the services available to them. I brought my concerns to our program coordinator who was able to reach out to the Pediatric Development Center for help. They were able to take our referral and begin the process for an evaluation. I spoke with the child’s mother after the evaluation and she was happy and relieved with the ease of the process which was unfamiliar to her, and the simplicity of starting speech therapy services. They began speech services following the evaluation and the growth in the child’s speech is amazing. The involvement of our program, the Parent Child Plus, allowed this family to connect with services that they might otherwise not have been able to so easily."
Learn more at chpberkshires.org/parent-child-home-program/
