Parents, kids learn together

Parents as Teachers fosters development for Carroll families

On one visit, Hundertmark brought a white laundry basket and put a few toys in it.

"Can you go push the basket?" she said to the child. "Go ahead. Take it for a walk."

Collin grabbed the rim and shuffled ahead.

"That's it. Push, push," Hundertmark said. He moved ahead tentatively -- step, push, step, push -- encouraged by both women.

The exercise would help his upper and lower body, Hundertmark explained to Snider. "He's definitely getting more coordinated," she said.

Later, the women talked while Collin played in the living room area filled with his toys, among them an alligator xylophone, a plastic dog on wheels and a Kawasaki toy bike.

Had Snider tried giving him crayons yet?

"Oh yeah," she said, smiling. "Straight to his mouth."

To develop Collin's fine motor skills, Hundertmark suggested letting him play with pudding, to fingerpaint. "Works like the crayons, but then if you eat it, it's OK," she said.

By introducing homemade toys, such as the "zip-top bag book," she shows parents that "it's not about high-dollar toys and videos," she said. "It's the relationship that parents develop with their children. ... Every moment is a teachable moment."

Snider said she appreciated the simple games Hundertmark had introduced to the household: filling a metal bowl with objects for Collin to shake, throwing balls to work on his hand-eye coordination.

With Hundertmark's guidance, Snider and Collin have flourished, said Kasey Turner, Snider's mother, who has worked with children for more than two decades.

"He's been more curious and a lot better observer since Courtney has started with him," Turner said, adding that she has also seen "a lot more interaction and a lot more play." Hundertmark is giving her daughter "more confidence in what she's doing," Turner said. "It's a wonderful, wonderful program."

Snider said she enjoys the meetings with other parents, as well as the home visits.

"That's an hour where Collin and I get to sit down and actually play together," Snider said. "It's a real good bonding experience." And one she doesn't always get with an active 1-year-old on his feet most of the day.

"When Courtney's here, he knows it's time to sit down," Snider said.

Collin was doing just that once his mother had finished making his new book, staring intently at the pictures she had cut out for him.

"Is that Sadie?" Snider said, referring to the Lab and their own dog. She pointed to the next page.

"Grapes," she said.

Collin took the book and tossed it away.

"That's OK," Hundertmark said. "That's a pretty obvious cue: `I'm done.'"

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