BLOCKS, TOY CARS: TOOLS OF THE TRADE

CHAFFEE -- Blocks, toy cars and plastic kitchen utensils are just some of the tools of the trade for Parents As Teachers educator Kathy Heise.

When she visits parents and their young children, she's equipped with a bag full of play things. But behind the fun and games, there's real learning taking place.

"It's a lot of hands-on things that kids can do and the parents can do with them," said Heise.

On a recent visit to 2 1/2-year-old Katelyn Slinkard's home in Chaffee, Heise took along an assortment of items from blocks to toy cars.

She asked Katelyn to put the items in pairs matching one plastic block with another, one toy car with another. With the urging of Katelyn's mother, Beth, the task was soon accomplished.

For Katelyn, it may have seemed like just another game. But it was more than that. "We are working on intellectual development, cognitive skills," Heise explained to a reporter who accompanied her on the home visit.

"Before children match letters, it's easier to match objects that are alike," she said.

A children's song was also part of Heise's repertoire that day. "Brown bear, brown bear what do you see?" she sang as Katelyn's mom joined in. "I see a red bird looking at me."

Heise encourages parental involvement. "Really, mom's the teacher, not me."

From her cheery classroom-turned-office in an old school building at Chaffee, Heise and a secretary serve five school districts in Scott and Cape Girardeau counties: Chaffee, Scott City, Kelly, Kelso and Delta.

With nearly 100 families to visit four or five times a year, Heise spends a lot of time on the road. Last year she traveled nearly 7,000 miles over the nine-month school year.

"I go anywhere from north of Crump to south of Diehlstadt," said Heise, who lives in Fruitland.

During the school year, she makes 16 to 20 home visits a week. "I try to schedule four a day," said Heise.

With each visit taking two hours counting preparation and travel time four visits is a full day's work, she says.

In addition to the home visits, Heise holds a number of group meetings with parents and their children during the school year. Heise holds about six full-scale group meetings. With such a large area to cover, she also holds some smaller meetings with parents in the various towns.

"I had a day group meeting last year for mothers who didn't work," she said. Parents also get a newsletter.

This is only Heise's second year as a parent educator. But she's right at home with children, having been an elementary schoolteacher in the Scott County Central district for 17 years.

When her position was cut, she found herself looking for another teaching job. That job turned out to be that of parent educator with the Parents As Teachers program.

It's a job Heise enjoys. "I've always loved children to begin with," she said. "I've always felt like the basis of learning starts in the home."

Being a parent educator and going into the home is far different than teaching in the traditional school setting. "It's totally different than the classroom. You've got that instant feedback," said Heise.

As a parent educator, Heise is teacher, friend and cheerleader for both children and parents alike.

The statewide Parents As Teachers program is a voluntary one. And that's the key, says Heise.

"They (parents) are so excited you are coming in and bringing information to them. There is no one there that doesn't want to be."

Said Heise, "Every parent wants to be the best parent they can be for their child."

The program is geared for children from birth to 3, and on a more limited basis to 5 years of age.

Each year in March the program provides a complete health screening for preschool children.

Parents As Teachers is designed not only to provide information to parents about their child's development, but also to detect disabilities or learning problems so they can be corrected before the child enters kindergarten.

"It benefits everyone," said Heise. "It benefits the schools, the families and the children."

At each home visit, parents are given information about what to expect from their child during that particular stage of development.

"There are seven phases of development from birth to 3 years," said Heise. "The younger they are, the faster, of course, the changes are."

Heise says playtime is more than fun. "No matter how small the activity you are doing, that kind of gives them a little more self-esteem."

Heise says she doesn't dictate to parents. Her job she says is to provide suggestions and opportunities for parents regarding their children's development and learning skills.

Both parents and children in the program treat her as a friend. She has received Christmas presents and parents on occasion have served her lunch and dinner.

"You really get to know them more on a one-to-one basis," said Heise.

Part of that, says Heise, has to do with the home visits. "They are going to be more relaxed; they are at home."

It's not just parents that she deals with. "I have had some visits with parents and grandparents.

"One (young) grandmother is very active in the program," said Heise.

The veteran teacher and mother of two girls ages 9 and 16 says early-childhood learning is important. A child, she says, is like "a little sponge, picking up everything."

"When they are learning something new," said Heise, "all their attention is focused on that activity."

Each child is different, even in the same family. "My first child was so easy. My second one came along seven years later," said Heise.

"This child cried all the time and she was never happy," recalled Heise. "I wish I had had Parents As Teachers then."

In that case, says Heise, she might have learned that parents shouldn't compare children.

The program's advertised best by word of mouth parents talking to other parents.

"I love the program," said Beth Slinkard whose daughter has been involved in the program for about a year and a half. "They always just have the cutest ideas."

One idea: For the kid who wants to play in the sand, oatmeal or birdseed provides a less messy substitute.

"I try to have some activities that are homemade," said Heise.

Slinkard's daughter, Katelyn, is her third child. But Slinkard said, "I still feel like I am learning."

She and her husband, David, also have two sons: Cory, 6, and Ryan, 10. Neither of them were enrolled in the program.

Slinkard says the Parents As Teachers program is a big encouragement to parents. "It's like a pat on the back to let me know I am doing something right."