A positive experience with learning at a young age can set the stage for a life-long thirst for knowledge. Early learning is crucial to a child’s mental development, which is why we value our ParentChild+ Program (formerly Parent-Child Home Program) so highly. Participation in ParentChild+ contributes massively to academic success in elementary school and beyond. For proof, we need look no further than one nine-year old girl named Emagine.
At two years old, Emagine’s parents enrolled her in Atlantic Street Center’s ParentChild+ program. Emagine had always been a bright and inquisitive child, but ParentChild+ encouraged and developed her curiosity and love for learning. Twice a week, their Early Learning Specialist Jazmine would come visit Emagine and her Grandma Faye, who took care of her during the day while her parents were at work, at home, bringing a book one visit and a toy the next. Jazmine would sit on the floor with Magi, as her grandmother calls her, and read her a story. Faye would sit on the couch and enjoy the stories as well. Emagine was always excited to ask questions, and came to love the books and toys Jazmine would leave her with, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
By the time she was three, Faye recalls, Emagine could answer any question about the stories she was read. While she’d always been smart, the sessions with Jazmine helped her to learn to sit and pay attention, which contributed greatly to her being the amazing student she is today. “I love school!” says Emagine now. “I think my favorite class is writing, I really like writing. I like how sometimes you can make up your own stories and show them to your family.”
Now a 4th grader at Wing Luke Elementary, Emagine has been accepted into the prestigious Rainier Scholars, a long-term academic enrichment and college preparation program for 4th grade students of color in the greater Seattle area. Rainier Scholars will support Emagine’s quest for academic success, providing her and her family with assistance all the way through her graduation from college.
In the meantime, Emagine is doing what you’d expect for a bright girl of her age – reading, selling lemonade, playing piano, and goofing around with her big brother, Bud. She also helps out at ASC’s Family Support Program, where her name is on the employee board! If you ask her today what she wants to be when she grows up, she’ll simply respond: “Happy.”