photography /Troy Boman Candy Wilson helps Rachel Gebs pick out letters at the Tooele Family Center Wednesday. The center is a community resource that has books, games, toys, puzzles and classes available to parents to help them be an active part of their children’s education.

by Abby Palmer

STAFF WRITER

Behind the Salt Lake Community College building on Vine Street sits a non-descript brown and white building that is home to a host of resources. The inside of this building resembles an elementary school classroom, with books, toys and a reading corner. Although it's not a classroom, the women who run the Tooele Family Center are there to help community members be involved in their children's education.

The Tooele Family Center is a source of information for parents who would like to be an active part in their children's education, said Candy Wilson, site coordinator/parent involvement specialist for the center.

The center is where parents can go to find information they need in helping them raise happy, healthy children. It's also where parents can find ways to help their children achieve in school.

The center, which is one of only 10 in the state, is funded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement through the No Child Left Behind Act, Wilson said. They are supported by the Utah State PTA.

"We're really fortunate to have one in Tooele," she said. "We are funded by grants that have to be utilized if we want to stay open."

The center opened in 2005. Wilson was not at the center when it opened, but believes it was busier then than it is now.

"It's not utilized like it should be," she said. "I'm brand new, but I want to get it going."

Wilson doesn't believe the center and its resources are used as much as they could be, but hopes to change that in the near future. With classes being made available to the community and getting word out about the center, Wilson said she hopes to see a greater number of people use the center.

"We aren't used as much as we would like," she said. "I think it's because people don't know about it."

The center has five primary purposes. The workers are there to assist parents in making sure their children's development is on track, increase the parent's involvement in education, help strengthen family relations, promote literacy in families and school readiness, and also to help parents understand the No Child Left Behind Act.

Wilson said the center is meant to be a support to the community and to families who have school-age children.

There are many free resources available to parents at the center. Wilson said educational toys, a book lending library, DVDs and videos are all available to anyone in the community.

In addition, story time is on Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The story time is a lot of fun for the kids, said Mandy Moore, PIRC assistant coordinator at the center said.

Every story time, children make a small craft and are able to take it home with them, Wilson said, adding everything at the story time is free for the children.

Moore and Wilson are hoping to add one more story time a week during the summer.

Some of the materials available for check-out include books for adults and learning toys for children.

The adults section includes books on strengthening families, anger management and learning styles. Books, games and puzzles are available to be checked out for children.

Tricia Peterson of Tooele takes her son to the center on a regular basis and enjoys not having to have a library card or any late fees.

"It's also nice because there are toys for them to play with while I do something else," she said. "I can read or look at the pamphlets while the kids are playing."

As well as helping empower parents to help their children, the family center is also meant to build a partnership with the teachers in the county, Wilson said, adding the Tooele County School District is very supportive of the center.

"We're here to help them, not go against them," she said. "We want to help make their jobs easier."

The center will be offering classes in the next few months. Some of the classes will include school, family and community partnerships; how to help students with homework; a kindergarten readiness class; and a baby-sitting prep class for girls age 10 and over.

All of these classes will be free, except for the baby-sitting prep class, Wilson said, which will have a small fee because the girls will take home a baby-sitting kit with activities for them to take when they baby-sit.

Along with being involved with these classes, the women at the center are involved in a course called Parents As Teachers, which will be available starting in May.

This service is available to families with children 0 to 5 years old, Wilson said. It includes monthly home visits from an educator, with lesson plans to go along with the developmental stage of the child. It also includes play groups and family group meetings with special speakers.

In addition to Wilson and Moore, Teisha Williams, a PIRC assistant coordinator, works at the center.

The center is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a lunch break from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

With working parents, not all parents can attend during these times. However, if a parent would like to set up an appointment for Friday or Saturday, the center is more than happy to accommodate them, Wilson said.

For more information, contact the center at 833-1960.

apalmer@tooeletranscript.com