New Parents Empowered Through Ellsworth Program

Jackie Cogswell and her daughter, Bella, go to a lot of playgroups. Cogswell, sitting beside her daughter while painting at , has sought out groups and programs like the Windsor school's .

Simply put, there's a steep learning curve as a new parent, and Cogswell was looking for ways to learn "more about child development, how to help [Bella] progress, dealing with trouble spots, getting her off her pacifier."

Cogswell signed up for , and Kathy Kopacz, a certified parent educator, began coming out to her home once a month to offer some input.

The wealth of information available to a parent online, through books and from other parents can be overwhelming at times. How is one supposed to navigate through it all and find what there looking for, let alone find what's correct?

Parents as Teachers is designed to make that process go a little more smoothly, and, thanks federal funding, it's already done so for some.

Kopacz and her colleague, Jennifer Mitchell, are both trained in child development and home visiting, as well as developmental screening. They're also mothers with personal marinating struggles and successes to draw from when they sit down with inquisitive parents.

"You can be kind of isolated as a parent," said Mitchell, "especially in the winter.
"This program offers a lot of information. It gives you an opportunity to know where your child falls [developmentally]."

Parents as Teachers is a federally funded program that offers information to parents on children's growth, development, new techniques for positive discipline, realistic expectations for behavior and helping kids get ready for entering school.

Nationwide, the government has provided communities with $88 million to fund Parent as Teachers programs like the one at Oliver Ellsworth.

Ellsworth is currently the only school in Windsor to have a fully-functioning, home-visitation program.

Kopacz and Mitchell are striving to reach inquisitive parents across town, even if they have been hesitant about seeking input on their parenting questions in past, which many new parents are guilty of.

"As moms, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do it perfectly," said Mitchell. "For some peep [it helps] just having someone in your house to talk to you."

The program offers three free visits by one of the parent educators (either in home or at another location), during which they will get to know the parent and child, conduct developmental testing and provide feedback on any issues a parent may be experiencing.

"We are looking to do more programming in the community in general," said Family Resource Center Leader Erin Quast. "We want to get back into the community. It helps parents feel connected; that they are one step closer to the school."

The sessions are intended to be fun for the child, as the testing consists of playing with toys, communicating and following instructions.

Those interested in participating in the program should cool Erin Quast at 860-287-2070, ext. 146.

The program is for pregnant women and families with children up to 5 years of age.