Hundreds Support Rockwood's Parents as Teachers "Fun Run"

Area families showed a different type of support last weekend for Rockwood School District's Parents as Teachers program. The group hosted its first 5K Fun Run/Walk on April 2 in Wildwood Town Center. Organizers said they hope to make it an annual event.

The money raised at the event will be used to support Rockwood's Parents as Teachers (PAT), which has existed for 26 years. The group is a parent education and support program for all Rockwood families with children from birth through the prekindergarten age of 5 years.

Last year, the group's parent educators called on 2,000 area families with children under age 5. The program, which is free for clients, began in Missouri in the 1980s to help parents track the development of their children and prepare them for school success. Professional childhood educators test children for a range of developmental abilities, including motor skills, eye sight, mental development and physical growth.

The recent recession and budget deficits have not been kind to the PAT program. According to a May 25, 2010, article in the Suburban Journals, statewide funding for Parents as Teachers was drastically cut. It was set at $30.8 million at the start of the 2009-2010 school year, reduced to $19.8 million by the end of the year, and the 2010-2011 budget has been set at $13 million.

Run participant Noah Brammer is a good example of children served by PAT.  “When I was just a baby, the PAT educator came to our house to see how I was doing.  They told my mom that I should get tested for autism,” said Brammer, now a student at Crestview Middle School in Ellisville.

“Their early detection of Noah’s autism really made a lot of difference,” said Noah's mother, Lizzie Brammer. “They got us started on early testing, and so we are grateful for that. We came to the fun run to support this wonderful program."

When asked about the chances for being an early finisher, Noah Brammer grinned confidently. "I think I'll do OK if I can just dodge all the strollers," he said.

Other parents at the event shared their PAT success stories.  “We love Parents as Teachers, so that’s why we’re here today, said Patti Hunt, a Rockwood parent. “Our parent educator, Joan Morris, discovered that our daughter, Rebecca, had a problem with her ears. She just needed to have tubes put in and that fixed the problems she was having.” 

Hunt came to the fun run with her husband, Craig, and their daughters Rebecca and Alicia. 

Jeff and Debby Schroeder, of Wildwood, along with their children Ellie and Bennett, joined the stroller brigade of participants. “We adopted our daughter Ellie from China, and she came to us at age 11 months,” said Debby Schroeder. “Our PAT educator tested her and found that she had special needs because of her early infancy care." 

Schroeder said the extra help must have set things right with young Ellie, because she is clearly another PAT success story. Like most average 4-year-olds, Ellie was busy expressing her definite opinions to mom, dad and her brother, while checking out all of the colorful yellow balloons at the event. 

Organizers were heartened by the outpouring of support.  “It’s our first try at an event like this,” said Leslie Ronzio, a PAT representative of the event. “Six weeks ago, we had only 50 participants interested. But it’s really come together. We preregistered 300 adults and 100 children for the run."

Numerous sponsors helped to fund the event.   in Wildwood was there handing out bottled water, and volunteers from Target were on hand. Dr. Jesse Groh, a pediatrician with in Eureka, delighted young and old with his enormous bubble-making technique.  Other sponsors included the Mike Luntz Realty Team, Syllogistics, Scottrade, , Allen Roofing, Blue Chip Pest Control, Manchester Eye Clinic, , Centurion Scientific, Educator Pension Resources, the , Kutis Funeral Homes, the REACH PTO, Breo Media and B & W Concrete.

"In addition to the sponsors and participants, there are 20 parent educators and over 50 volunteers here. We think it’s a fantastic success,” Ronzio said. “Not only are we raising money for our program, but we’re raising awareness about Parents as Teachers.”