Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Tuesday, February 10, 2009

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Angelica Diaz alternates reading in English and Spanish during Book Buddies time at the Family Care Center.

Gathering in the library for “Book Buddies” is a high point of the week for teens and preschoolers at the Family Care Center off Red Mile Road.

“It’s a teaching moment, but it’s also fun,” said Laura Zimmerman, one of three high school teachers in the alternative program for teenage mothers, which is a partnership between the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government and the school district.

Zimmerman and the center’s two Early Start teachers launched “Book Buddies” about four years ago. It encourages the teens to read to their own children at home by letting them practice with the Early Start kids for about 20 minutes after lunch on Thursdays.

“Reading is a main aspect of my life, so I definitely want to help the kids with reading,” said 11th-grader Kim Baker, whose son is 2.

Fellow student Angelica Diaz, a sophomore, wasn’t always such a fan of reading. But spending time with the preschoolers has convinced her of its importance. “What I’m doing with them, I can also do with my son,” said Angelica, who also has a 2-year-old.

During Book Buddies time, which is voluntary for the teens, the girls meet up with the 3- and 4-year-olds in the center’s library. Sometimes the Early Start teachers bring a handful of books; other times, the children choose well-worn favorites from nearby shelves.

Typically, about a dozen teenagers participate; most are paired with the same Early Start students each week. The girls practice reading aloud with expressiveness and asking the kids questions like what might happen next in the story. Some, like Angelica, also read in Spanish.

“They look forward to it all the time,” said Betty Nickels, one of the Early Start teachers. “This is such an important time in their life to develop a love of reading,” she added.In addition, positive reinforcement from the children bolsters the teen moms’ confidence in their reading skills as well as their self-esteem.

“I walk into the cafeteria and their eyes light up,” said Kim, whose favorite part of Book Buddies is getting to know and love the kids.

Angelica agreed, adding, “You teach them, and they look up to you.”

Book Buddies is a small part of the girls’ experience at the Family Care Center, which in addition to classes, provides case managers, a health clinic and a day care. “It encompasses a lot of services under one roof,” Zimmerman said. “A lot of these students would have been dropouts because they don’t have the support system to stay in a regular school.”

The educational component gives teen moms a chance to earn a high school diploma or GED. The program currently serves about 45 girls in grades 9-12. During the six-hour day, they study at their own pace in what Zimmerman described as a one-room schoolhouse environment.

The teens might use Shakespeare in a conflict resolution class one day and help the preschoolers make gingerbread houses the next. Among other opportunities cooking classes and life skills lessons through creative initiatives like the Reality Store and the Stock Market Game. The girls can also take parenting classes for elective credit.

In conjunction with the center’s overarching goal of reducing teen pregnancies, the students meet monthly with their case managers and teachers, and they set goals. Those could include academic targets, getting a driver’s license or finding their own home.

“We write those down to make them more concrete,” Zimmerman said. “A lot of these girls live day-to-day. That’s one of the issues – they don’t look ahead.”

“We always suggest they postpone (another) pregnancy until they’ve completed their high school diploma,” she added. “We’re trying to stop the cycle of children having children.”