Missouri mother ignites movement, remains Parents as Teachers advocate

While seven months pregnant with her daughter, Michelle Gieselman decided she had to stand up to the Missouri state budget cuts to the Parents as Teachers program funding in the only way she felt she could: she updated her Facebook status, sounding the alarm to a close circle of small-town mothers.

“It really spread the news,” Michelle said. “I think people didn’t think education would be cut, but Parents as Teachers was affected.”

Within days, a Facebook group had sprung up in her name, eventually attracting almost 16,000 followers. They posted comments of support and stories chronicling the organization’s impact on their lives.

Michelle herself has a similar story. Her first son Michael seemed to be developing normally. But as a teen mother, she was inexperienced. In a high school parenting class, a Parents as Teachers educator came in to speak, prompting Michelle to schedule home visits.

“At six months, I didn’t realize he should have been pushing his arms up and holding his upper torso up,” she said. But once her parent educator began checking for development benchmarks, Michelle was able to have a more meaningful dialogue with her pediatrician.

The parent educator assigned to her second child, Hayden, re-affirmed her faith in Parents as Teachers. “We had just moved to a small town; I didn’t have any way to socialize my sons,” Michelle said. So parent educator Martha Martin introduced the family to other stay-at-home moms, who organized weekly play dates for their children. “I probably would’ve moved if it wasn’t for Martha,” Michelle said.

Years later, concern for Martin’s job security motivated her to fight debilitating budget cuts.

“I said, ‘If you participate in this program, you need to speak out! We don’t want this to go away.’” 

A day of activism in Jefferson city was organized in the midst of the crisis using the Facebook page and the Parents as Teachers national office. Those at the rally and meetings with legislators wore buttons that read, "We'll give you 154,000 reasons to fund MO Parents as Teachers programs," referring to the number of Missouri children that received Parents as Teachers services in the preceeding year.  

Sabrina feels Parents as Teachers has been a lifeline for her family.

Sabrina is a mother of four and had been working with Parents as Teachers educator Kathy for seven years. Sabrina's youngest, Finnley, was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome which caused half of his heart to stop functioning. Finnley underwent five surgeries in his first months of life. Today, he has a paralyzed vocal cord and struggles with his speech.

Parents as Teachers has been instrumental in helping Finnley stay on track with his development so his disability doesn't define his learning. Kathy continues to work with Sabrina to improve Finnley's speech, building upon the therapy he receives through First Steps.

Parents as Teachers also offered her new ideas and insights on how to interact with each of her children in a way that best suits each child's individual needs. Kathy helped Sabrina modify her parenting style with Theryn, now 6, by encouraging him to read words on the cereal box and signs while driving. "That was the biggest thing I learned from Parents as Teachers. Every kid learns differently."

"We couldn't escape the feeling that we had a daughter in China."

My husband and I married very young, right out of high school, and had two biological children. But we couldn't escape the feeling that we had a daughter in China. We adopted Marissa from a Chinese orphanage when she was 10 months old. She is such a gift.

Marissa's sensory issues were immediate. We believe they were due to the fact that she had been laying in a crib for 10 months without interaction with others and because of the neglect that comes with institutional living. She had a knot on the back of her head about an inch-and-a-half deep from just laying in bed on her back. Many of her sensory issues involved food, and although I was an experienced mom and I read a lot in advance, I don't think you can ever be fully prepared for this kind of situation.

We got in touch with Infant and Toddler Services of Johnson County, and they connected us with Parents as Teachers. We had a wonderful parent educator who taught all three of us baby sign language and that really helped Marissa. Of course, she had only heard Chinese in the womb and for the first 10 months of her life so she was very frustrated when she couldn't communicate with us. It was so neat to watch her blossom as soon as her frustrations eased.

But it was our very first Parents as Teachers play group that was a turning point for Marissa. She was 2 years old, and when we walked into the room Marissa was immediately drawn to the easel and paint. She began painting that day at Parents as Teachers and she hasn't stopped since. By age 5, Marissa was putting things on canvas and actually has a gallery of shows of her work. She donates part of the proceeds from her art to the Chinese orphanage where she lived the first months of her life.

Parents as Teachers filled a big gap for us; they were another set of eyes. I really credit Parents as Teachers for helping us connect with Marissa and helping Marissa connect with art. She became a totally different girl--lively and creative. That gift of creativity is part of who she is.

Genni and her son, Owen, who is now 5, joined a Parents as Teachers program when he was 2 months old. Genni’s parent educator, Darlene, played a large role in keeping Owen on track and making sure he hit his milestones on time. “My parent educator suggested activities and toys that would encourage him to reach his milestones,” Genni said, “They were fun and educational activities that could be made with items around the house.” 

She feels Darlene and the Parents as Teachers program gave her the confidence that she needed to be a true parent. “It has made me more confident by reassuring me and steering me in the right direction. Usually my parent educator’s answers to my questions were the same as my gut feelings,” she laughs now. “It made me realize that my instincts were correct and made me feel more confident in my own ability to parent.” 

Genni also feels that Darlene saved her family money. “With Parents as Teachers, if I had a question and knew I had a meeting with my parent educator scheduled, I felt like I could wait and ask her about minor things.” Genni called on both her parent educator and family physician. She went to her parent educator when she had parenting and minor health concerns about her child, and to her family physician with more serious issues. The balance of the two created a sense of security and confidence for Genni as a parent. 

Genni also feels Parents as Teachers helped prepare Owen for school. “I know that a child who hits his or her milestones on time advances in all areas more quickly. My son will start kindergarten tomorrow, but can already read and write words by sounding them out. In math, he can add, subtract, and do simple multiplication. There is no doubt that Parents as Teachers and my parent educator had a hand in that. If I hadn't known where to start with him as a baby, he would not be where he is today.” Parents as Teachers has helped prepare Owen both emotionally and intellectually for the educational path to come.