Sarah Lemon

Agency: The Parent Connection

Term: Fall - 2001

I am doing my internship at The Parent Connection. This agency provides a place for parents to come express concerns, support each other, enhance their children's development, and most importantly strengthen the parent-child relationship. The agency does this with four main programs. The first is play-based parent education groups. These are groups that provide a space for parents and children to come together and learn communication skills, and what is developmentally appropriate at different ages. These groups provide a way for parents to be active in their children's lives, which will enhance their relationship and help prevent the children from facing neglect and abuse down the road. The second program offered is First Steps, which utilizes volunteers. The program coordinator trains volunteers to go to hospitals and visit new mothers. The new mothers are given a booklet of information on what to expect with their newborn and are invited to free support groups that meet at The Parent Connection two days a week. This program allows mothers and their newborns to come meet other moms with the same age babies and discuss what is going on with their babies.

The third program is Parents As Teachers. This program offers families an opportunity to receive some training and support in their homes if they are unable to afford or get to The Parent Connection. A certified professional visits the family once a month for an hour and a half and works with the whole family to make them aware of developmental changes at each age and of the importance of the parent-child relationship.

The fourth program involves parenting classes. Some of these classes are offered as a series and others are individual. The theme of every class is taught based on the Adlerian Theory, meaning that democratic parenting is the most effective because children are given choices within boundaries set by the parents. This way both the children and the adults feel a sense of control.

This semester my responsibilities include mostly observation. During the three classes that I attend, I assist the parent educator and am getting a feel for how I would lead my own group. Next semester I will be responsible for leading one or two groups in the presence of a parent educator. I am also expected to attend two of the parenting class series this semester. These are each six weeks long, meeting once a week for two hours. Next semester I will be co-teaching both of these series with another person. Another responsibility that I have is to volunteer for the First Steps program, which involves making hospital visits once a week. In addition, I attend as many planning meetings as my schedule permits.

I am doing this internship for two main reasons. One is that I wanted a chance to apply what I am learning in my classes to the real world. For example, in several classes I have learned about age appropriate behaviors and I wanted a chance to actually see kids of certain ages demonstrate this. The second reason is that I wanted to get experience in the Family Studies career field. I wanted to learn how a non-profit agency is funded and learn about advertising and how they utilize volunteers. The Parent Connection has given me an opportunity to do both of these things and so much more.

After graduation and my experience at The Parent Connection, I plan to take one or two years to use my skills in the job market. I will either be working in the Family Studies or Education career field, then I will go to graduate school to get my Master's degree in whichever I discover is best for me.

I can't pick out just one experience at The Parent Connection that I will take with me when I go. I know this sounds cheesy, but everyday that I am there is a gift. Something about seeing mothers interact with their children and care so much about them is special and something I look forward to in my future with my own children. I thoroughly enjoy learning from the parents, children, and the staff at The Parent Connection every week.

University of Arizona | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
School of Family and Consumer Sciences | Family Studies and Human Development

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