In Janet’s own words
I used to lose my temper with Emanuel quickly, and I believed his behavior was of a child being spoiled. I was afraid and uncertain when I found out my son had a speech delay. I didn’t want my son to be labeled.
Through the program, I learned how to control my temper, became more patient, and understood what was going on with my child. The program served as a tool that gave me different options to help my son succeed.
Emanuel was a shy boy because he couldn’t communicate with other people as other children did at his age, but because I have implemented everything PCEP taught me, I now have a more confident child at home.
After PCEP and Early Head Start, teachers at his elementary school are sure that the program helped Emanuel become more active and enthusiastic about school.
When I first joined AVANCE I was a first-time parent, and I noted that most of us follow our parents’ or grandparents’ guidance while raising our children. However, sometimes doing what our parents or grandparents taught us is not always the right thing to do with our children.
I recall my mom telling me that what Emanuel was doing was normal. “All children throw tantrums,” she would say, and that was not it in my case.
I know that as parents, we don’t have a parenting manual after having children […] There was a point when I thought: ‘I am not helping my child this way,’ and that’s when I sought help. AVANCE was the closest thing to the parenting manual I needed.
When my daughter Gloria was born, I learned enough to identify signals of delay in case she needed it. Thankfully, Gloria is a healthy and active young child.
Today, both children are enrolled in elementary school at Pasadena ISD and are excelling.
Both programs not only helped me, but it has also helped my children. I can see the difference between my children, and other children that didn’t go through AVANCE.
I remember Emanuel and Gloria’s first day of school as calm and with “no drama” compared to other families’ first day. Both children were mature for their age.
Teachers call me because Emanuel is constantly participating in class. Emanuel went from being a shy child who couldn’t speak to an outgoing child who couldn’t stop talking and knowing the answers to everything.
On the other hand, Gloria is an outgoing child and is always eager to participate in class. During the pandemic, Gloria took AVANCE EHS Home-Based virtual classes and did great; she used to get ready early in the mornings and wait impatiently for her teacher to connect.
Emanuel is also playing sports and has his own Facebook page.
The Facebook page happened because his Pre-K teacher asked him to turn in homework through videos, so he enjoyed creating videos. Now, we do a video every time we go to the park or do anything that he thinks would be interesting to share.
I was involved as much as possible in my children’s education during my time at AVANCE. I became a member of the Policy Council, where I learned a lot about the agency, from budgeting, programming, resources, and many more things that have helped me understand the organization’s role in our community.
I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in IT from Mexico, and I’m currently taking English Second Language (ESL) classes because I would like to return to school to become a teacher.
Given all I learned and the challenges I endured while seeking help for Emmanuel, it sparked my desire to help other children and their families. Teaching is such a great and compassionate thing to do! I’m thankful for the teachers and the staff at AVANCE, who helped me when I needed it the most.
