Breakfast with Books provides children with cereal, literacy

Locating an open space on the floor among children at play, LaMeca Perkins, an IU graduate student and mother, took a seat in the playroom at the Shalom Family Resource Center. \nVolunteer babysitters admired Perkins' 9-month-old daughter, clad in pink, as Perkins conversed with other mothers visiting the center. Perkins was fulfilling her weekly routine of attending the center's Breakfast with Books, a program created to provide families with healthy breakfasts and an opportunity to become acquainted with literacy. \nThe Breakfast with Books program, located in the basement of First Presbyterian Church at 221 E. Sixth St., offers an array of healthy breakfast foods, toys, books, and an atmosphere where children and parents can interrelate. The program runs from 9 to 11 a.m., Monday through Friday. It's funded by a grant from Eli Lilly and Company, is an extension of the Shalom Community Center and was established four years ago. \nVolunteers for the center devised goals they intended to accomplish through the program. Their biggest concern was to support families in need of free resources in a purely nonjudgmental way and familiarize those families with literacy to increase developmental skills in their children. \nThe program has grown not only to accommodate those who lack tangible resources and literacy skills, but to any family in need of social interaction, said Linda Pattoon, director of the Shalom Family Resource Center. \n"There is a mix of many socioeconomic groups that come to (Breakfast with Books)," Pattoon said. "It's not just for people who don't have any resources. Something (the Center) does well is provide a place where different parents can chat with each other about parenting issues."\nOf these parents that utilize the center to socialize is a mother of three.\nVicki Streiff visits the center a few times a week for the full two hours of the program's duration to allow her children activity time out of the house. \n"If I don't get my kids out of the house, I tend to regret it, and so do they," Streiff said. "(The Center) is one of the things that makes Bloomington a nice place to raise kids. It's great to have places that are free, and I can trust the staff to watch one kid for a few minutes while I watch my youngest or take another kid to the bathroom. I've met some really nice people here, and I'm grateful to have some place to take the kids away from the TV." \nWhile some parents spend time in the playroom socializing, others are able to leave their children under the care of volunteers to study or attend free adult education classes. The classes take place from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, overlapping the time of Breakfast with Books. Parents may work toward their GEDs or improve basic skills for obtaining a career in the future.\nPerkins is one of the parents who uses the time to study for her master's degree while she can trust the staff to care for her daughter. \n"Finding study time is the biggest struggle for me," Perkins said. "(Breakfast with Books) gives me two hours to study." \nBecause Perkins must fulfill her duties as a mother and a fulltime student, she cannot afford daycare. She is not eligible for daycare vouchers because she is not an undergraduate student. Therefore, the staff serves as a free care program for her while she studies.\n"Right now, my daughter has separation anxiety because I spend all day with her. Therefore, I can't leave her for very long while I study," Perkins said. "I'm trying to cure her anxiety by coming to (Breakfast with Books) so she can get used to a play group and become more comfortable. Eventually, I will be able to leave her with (the staff) so I can study. Right now, this is our social time."\nVolunteer positions are open to anyone interested in helping out during the Breakfast with Books time frame. Pattoon encourages IU students who enjoy children to volunteer. \nAfter spotting a newspaper ad, Susan Colston, a former elementary teacher, began attending Breakfast with Books sessions to spend time around children and give back to the community. \n"It's fun to come the same day every week and watch the same kids develop socially," Colston said. "The moms get a break while the kids can snack or play in a safe place. The program is especially good for only children to interact with other children."\nPattoon said she plans to continue as a volunteer for the Breakfast with Books program because of the rewards helping families have given her and witnessing the success and aid the program has given others. She wants to continue to accomplish the program's original goal, encouraging others to join her in her mission. She urges people to participate and receive the many benefits the program has given her.\n-- Contact staff writer Molly Kravitz at mekravit@indiana.edu.