Wichita budget cuts endanger future of Parents as Teachers

A few times a month, 2-year-old Kai Gambill loves to get messy with paint, sing "Three Little Monkeys" and pretend to cook on a toy stove in the Adams Elementary School library. His mom, Lori, compares notes with other parents who are dealing with similar challenges. These days, it's potty training.

"He gets to interact with other kids, which is important because he's an only child," Lori Gambill said of the weekly hourlong play group hosted by Parents as Teachers. "And I get to talk to other moms and learn some tricks of the trade."

She and other parents worry that recent budget cuts may threaten Wichita's Parents as Teachers, an early childhood program that serves about 2,000 families.

Earlier this month, Wichita school leaders announced a plan to eliminate funding for Parents as Teachers. The $465,000 cut amounts to half of the program's annual budget.

Parents as Teachers also receives state funding, which could be in jeopardy depending on what happens this session in the Kansas Legislature.

Hilary Koehn, program coordinator for Wichita Parents as Teachers, says the group is looking for other sources of money, including grants and corporate donations. But so far, "nothing is definite," she said.

The group plans to continue with its scheduled classes, play groups, home visits and other activities through June, when the fiscal year ends.

After that, "things could change," Koehn said. "We won't be able to make any decisions until we really know what our budget picture looks like."

Parents as Teachers employs 10 parent educators and one certified teacher who are trained in child development. They meet with families in their homes — about 470 families get the free monthly visits, and more than 100 are on a waiting list — and they host other activities around Wichita, usually in school buildings.

Monthly play groups include "Exploring Art" at CityArts, "Science Times" at Exploration Place and "Project Dad," a play group designed specifically for fathers and their kids. "First Things First," another partnership with Exploration Place, helps 3-year-olds and their parents learn classroom procedures and get ready for school.

"We're a big part of that early childhood piece" of education, Koehn said.

"We've received a lot of concerned calls from parents that are very supportive of our program or have had children in our program in the past," she said. "They know the importance of kids getting a good start."

Wichita superintendent John Allison said his plan to eliminate Parents as Teachers funding is not a criticism of the program or its value to the district.

"This is just where we are now," he said. "The cuts have to happen somewhere, and our goal is to keep them as far away from the classroom as possible."

In a recent budget presentation, Allison pointed to a study that tracked children enrolled in Parents as Teachers programs. It showed that by third grade, fewer than half attended Wichita schools. He also noted that the program is open to all families, not just those living in poverty or children who are at risk of failing in school.

Koehn, the Parents as Teachers coordinator, says that's what makes the program special.

"All families have parenting needs and questions," she said. "Just because you have a higher income level doesn't mean you know the ins and outs of parenting."

Aaron Montgomery, a father of four, agrees. He says regular visits from a parent educator helped him and his wife, Melissa, make sure their twin boys, now 4, were developing normally.

When doctors told the couple their daughter Alexandra was dangerously underweight as a toddler and might require a feeding tube, they attended a Parents as Teachers workshop about healthy eating and were able to change her approach to food.

Now Alexandra is a healthy, happy 2 1/2-year-old and "the best eater in our house," Montgomery said.

"Anyone who knows me will tell you I'm all for budget cuts," he said. "But this is one program that, if people just used it, they'd see how important it is.... There's nothing else out there like it."

Parents as Teachers educators also meet regularly with pregnant and parenting teens at nine Wichita high schools. Once a month, the young women — and some young men — get advice about proper nutrition, fitness and how to care for their babies.

"We don't know what the future is going to bring or what those (budget cuts) are going to mean for our program," Koehn said. "Right now we just hope people see the value in what we do, not just for these families but for the community as a whole."

This story was originally published April 23, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Wichita budget cuts endanger future of Parents as Teachers."