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Mission Amarillo is here to serve those in poverty. They do this by multiple programs that help children, teens, and families.

“So what we do, is we go in early before they even get to school. We model for the parents how to talk to their kids, how to play with their kids and how to get them ready so that they will be successful when they get to school,” Christy Jalbert, Parent-Child Home Program Coordinator said.

Trained home visitors visit their families twice a week. Every week the family gets a brand new book or toy that is used to teach the parents how to play and talk to their child.

“Most important for me is getting to watch the parents learn how to interact with their child, to read to them, to play with them, and to see it’s not as structured as they think it should be. Changing that perspective has been very interesting,” Sarah Mapes, a home visitor said.

The program is referral based. It has continued to grow and help more and more each year.

“Because the underprivileged in Amarillo don’t have as many benefits say as someone who is used to having higher education, this sets them up to meet that bar,” Mapes explained.

Jalbert said, “Children growing up in poverty would have heard 30-million fewer words than a higher-income child.”

Please click here to read the full article on KAMR Local 4 News.