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By Travis Gupton

The Selma Times-Journal

Parents across the Selma City Schools district and other school districts came together for the Born Ready University program on Saturday at Sophia P. Kingston.

The program was designed to help parents better raise their children from early childhood and get them ready to enter school.

“This program provides parents with the information and supports necessary to bring up happy and healthy children ready to enter school,” Born Ready University Director Cheryl Randolph said. “Parents are their child’s first teacher.”

About 15 parents attended the first session where R.B. Hudson Resource Teacher Mariama DeRamus spoke on parents’ health while raising a child. She talked about her parents sometimes need to prioritize things that are going on and sometimes just say “I ain’t got time for that.”

The parents in attendance discussed how they do things like their parents. They also talked about how hard it was to not turn into their parents while being a parent.

DeRamus continued her session, suggesting ways for parents to bond with their children from a very young age. She mentioned at her house before her family leaves for the day, they come together for a short prayer. She went on to say that parents should take their children out on things like picnics to get them out in nature and spend quality time with them. She finished by saying that should everything go away it was important to remember that parents have their families.

Everything else does not really matter in the grand scheme of things. After the session parents were able to take a little break before the next session.

One parent was attending her second Born Ready University program. She brought her bag and notes from last year’s program along with this year’s bag and notes on Saturday. She said that she still used her notes from last year in certain situations with her baby. A lot of the parents said that they would attend next year if the University was offered due to the usefulness of the information given.

People will get one more opportunity to attend the Born Ready University at Sophia P. Kingston on April 22 from 9 a.m. -noon.

Childcare and meals will be provided. There will be door prizes as well as children’s books for each session. The topics for the sessions include Child Development, Social-emotional development, school readiness, and health and safety environment. The sessions are free for expecting parents, parents, or caregivers with children (0 to 5 years old).