Maine Children’s Trust Grant Expands Program for Young Parents
Contact: Pam LaHaye, Extension Educator, 207-342-5971, plahaye@umext.maine.edu
WALDO, Me.–“Parents Are Teachers Too,” (PATT) a home-visiting program for new parents offered by University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Waldo County, recently received a grant from the Maine Children’s Trust, the statewide child abuse and neglect prevention organization.
The grant specifically supports staffing of “My Time,” an educational support group for teen and young parents which is a collaborative effort of several community agencies and the Waldo County YMCA. Young parents have taken part in designing the group as an answer to the social isolation so many of them experience. The parents will have time for interaction, learning activities, and physical activity while the YMCA provides child care; then they come together with their children for parent-child activity time. The grant also supports a new playgroup being formed in the Unity area. “Parents Are Teachers Too” has received additional grant support from the Maine Community Foundation’s Waldo County Fund for the group’s activity and transportation expenses.
“‘Parents Are Teachers Too’ has a long history of providing support and education to first-time parents in Waldo County,” says Patrick Walsh, a board member of the Maine Children’s Trust and Chair of the Maine Community Foundation’s Waldo County Fund Committee. “Investments in these early supports for young children and their parents result in improved health and safety in our communities.”
A network of home-visiting programs such as PATT in every Maine county ensures that professional staff are available to visit first-time parents across the state. Walsh pointed out that Waldo County’s “My Time” group focuses attention on the distinct needs of very young parents. “This social connection for young parents, who could otherwise become isolated, enriches the lives of the parents and their children,” he says.
To learn more about UMaine Cooperative Extension’s “Parents Are Teachers Too” program, please call the UMaine Cooperative Extension Office in Waldo County at 207-342-5971.