Having young children is hard for any parent. Parents are in the crosshairs of time and energy levels.
To help parents of young children with older siblings who attend Epic, the district has begun a new program, Epic Beginnings, for children birth to school age. The program also serves Epic students who have children or are expecting.
The program is designed to provide resources and support for families to help them prepare their children for school. And give parents activities, educational objectives and field trips with Epic specialists and other families.
Shallena Miller, Epic Beginnings specialist, homeschooled her children until they started with Epic. That’s when she began working with Epic as well.
Epic Beginnings is unique in that it doesn’t require parents to enroll or do anything other than check a box in their student’s ILP that they have young children at home.
“They don’t have to sign up for anything,” Miller said. “They can be part of whatever parts … they think will help them and their families.”
The program’s signature events are its Coffee Talks, get-togethers in which parents can meet one another and keep their kids busy having fun while they learn. The activities are scalable for parents to use at home.
Miller said the program will help to develop toddlers’ minds by helping their parents teach them lessons in fun and creative ways.
“When we can share with families the little things that we can do each day, it helps them grow and learn every day at home,” she said of the young children whom Epic Beginnings serves.
A monthly calendar, available at epiccharterschools.org/epic-beginnings, has in-person events as well as daily educational activities for parents to use at home.
“To make it easy for parents to figure it out,” Miller said.
Children play and learn at an Epic Beginnings Coffee Talk in Oklahoma City. Courtesy photo.