Parents As Teachers: Elise's Story

When faced with too many questions on their child’s development, a family reached out to United Way program, Parents as Teachers, to find answers. This is their story…

“My name is Marcy and I’m a wife to my husband of 15+ years and, most importantly, a mom to two beautiful girls. Ines, my oldest, turns eight this Saturday, and Elise, my youngest, is four.

In early 2023, one of my closest friends, helped me discover something life-changing. At the time, I had some concerns about Elise’s speech delay.

I’m naturally a worrier, but I was trying to stay calm since my older daughter also had a delay and caught up after therapy. Elise’s pediatrician wasn’t worried—she was affectionate, made eye contact, and didn’t show other signs of Autism.

Still, my friend encouraged me to join United Way’s Parents as Teachers program. At first, I hesitated. I didn’t want to commit or take resources from someone who might “need it more.” But my friend was persistent, and by the time Elise’s turned three, I enrolled, honestly, more as a favor to her. And I’m so glad I did.

I was connected with a parent educator, one of the program’s amazing teachers. We started with a phone call and milestone assessment. It opened my eyes to what Elise was missing because of her speech delay. Our educator suggested I take the results back to our pediatrician, which led to us seeing a specialist, and eventually getting an Autism diagnosis.

That moment was hard. Realizing that your child will need special education services can be overwhelming.

But now, I see it as a blessing. Elise is smart, sweet, affectionate, and absolutely perfect the way she is.

ASD can be harder to diagnose in girls, which often causes delays in getting help. I’m so thankful the Parents as Teachers program helped us identify Elise’s needs early. She’s now in EPISD’s K-3 program and is thriving. Early intervention really does make a difference.

Through monthly visits, our Parent Educator provided me with simple and creative ways to teach and connect with Elise. One of our favorite activities was planting faux flowers in a pot filled with rice instead of soil. Elise still asks to play with the rice, and even her big sister joins in.

The Parents as Teachers program is truly for everyone, from first-time moms to those with years of experience. I believe every parent can benefit from it.

As someone who has experienced the impact firsthand, I can confidently say that this United Way’s Parents as Teachers program changes lives. And it’s because of your support that families like mine get the tools and encouragement we need to thrive.”

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Learn more about Parents as Teachers and connect to our wonderful team of Parent Educators!