The AVANCE Parent-Child Education Program Model consists of weekly three hour classes that span the school calendar of September to May, early childhood education for the children of the adult participants, home visits, transportation to and from program services, advocacy and support, and special events and holiday celebrations. Graduates of the program are encouraged to continue participating in a second phase focused on Adult Education and college.
The following describes these components: the weekly three hour class time consists of a Play and Toy Curriculum, a Parenting Education Curriculum, and Community Resource Awareness.
Parenting Class
The fundamental service of the AVANCE Parent-Child Education Program is the nine month span of weekly classes for parents during which 27 Bilingual lessons are taught. The general topic areas include 1) Overview of Parenting, 2) Physical Needs of the Young Child, 3) Childhood Illnesses, 4) Understanding Children’s Behavior, 5) Cognitive and Language Development, 6) Emotional Needs of Children, 7) Social Needs of Children, 8) Self Awareness and Goals Setting, 9) Nutrition and the Young Child, and 10) Prenatal and Infant Needs. These lessons have been developed by AVANCE and proven effective over the years to teach parents how to become their child’s first teacher.
These lessons also:
- Help parents make sound decisions concerning their children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs;
- Raise their level of hopefulness for themselves and their children;
- Increase the value of education;
- Teach parents how and why they should read to their children on a daily basis;
- Improve parents' self-worth;
- Enhance their value of their children and the special potential possessed by them; and
- Improve their ability to adequately provide for healthy children growth and development.
AVANCE in your neighborhood
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Toymaking Class
A supportive and complimentary activity to the parenting lessons is the Toymaking Component. Children learn through play and toys are the child’s primary tools for learning. However, for poor children, toys are many times a luxury and their parents can not afford to provide many toys. Toys labeled as “educational” are usually more expensive than “regular” toys.
Toymaking allows parents the opportunity to learn how to make items which the child can play with at home and at the same time parents become keenly aware of the importance of learning through play. The perception of “parents as the child’s first and most important teacher” which is repeatedly emphasized during the parenting class is reinforced in toymaking. Upon completion of each toy parents are taught the many learning opportunities and basic concepts that each toy can teach. There are many benefits to the toy making activities. The first and most obvious benefit is the child realizing that the parent is actually making a toy for him. The message is “my mom cares so much for me that she is taking time and working hard at making a toy just for me.” This instills a feeling of self worth, pride, and special bonding between parent and child. Secondly, it structures times for the child to play and for the parent to observe the child at play. As the child is playing, the parent assumes the different roles of a teacher—a designer of learning environments and a consultant of resources to stimulate learning. Thirdly, as the parent becomes more aware and involved in the child’s play, more opportunities are created for practicing and mastering basic concepts and skills. The child’s self confidence and self concept is bolstered with every positive encounter occurring during play. Fourth, toymaking sets the stage for the parent and child to begin communicating and interacting in healthy, positive ways.
The Toymaking Hour also has benefits for the parents:
- They form support systems with each other as they informally interact with their classmates;
- They develop a sense of pride and accomplishment, for many, this is a first time experience;
- They discover unknown talents and skills;
- They learn the skills they have to teach their children: using paints, coloring, tracing, cutting, pasting, outlining, measuring, etc.;
- They realize that there are endless possibilities for using scraps, discards, and inexpensive materials for making attractive and useful toys;
- The making of toys serves a vehicle for parents to demonstrate love and interest in the welfare of their child; and
- They acquire “teaching” skills that can be generalize to everyday life and home activities, such as labeling actions of cooking, washing, and mopping.
They become aware that learning occurs everywhere and that they can stimulate and enrich learning processes for their children. The child is encouraged to be perceptive, inquisitive, and attentive.
Toymaking also introduces parents to spending “quality time” with their child. The making of toys for one’s child brings to a conscious level the need to spend more time with their child. This means time that is enjoyable and relaxing for both parent and child. Taking time from the busy schedule of adulthood to play nurtures communication, bonding, and interaction between parent and child. As the child grows older and seemingly less close to the parent, the need to feel comfortable with each other becomes extremely important for addressing sensitive and intimate topics.
Parent Child-Education Program