{"id":532,"date":"2016-10-20T22:10:36","date_gmt":"2016-10-21T02:10:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/news\/controlled-chaos\/"},"modified":"2024-12-17T10:13:24","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T15:13:24","slug":"controlled-chaos","status":"publish","type":"impact_story","link":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/impact-stories\/controlled-chaos\/","title":{"rendered":"Caos controlado"},"template":"","class_list":["post-532","impact_story","type-impact_story","status-publish","hentry","topic-child-care-and-early-education"],"acf":{"details":{"featured_image":"","quote":"If we didn\u2019t have those services, I don\u2019t believe Jabari would be where he is now in first grade.","citation":"Paul Potts","topic":[171],"program_theme":[133],"button_text":"Read More"},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"<section class=\"post-paragraph\">\r\n<div class=\"container-imported\">\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xDYnNIqatfY\" width=\"853\" height=\"505\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/focus-areas\/bib-to-backpack\/\"><em>Nota del editor: Para obtener m\u00e1s informaci\u00f3n sobre el Cuestionario de Edades y Etapas y otros recursos sobre la primera infancia, visite BibToBackpack.org.<\/em><\/a>\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s 6 p.m. on a Monday, and the Potts household is a flurry of activity.\r\n\r\n\u201cAre you done washing your hands?\u201d Ayana Knox-Potts asks as her six children dive into the dinner she has just set on the table.\r\n\r\n\u201cCan I have a kiss?\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cHow was practice?\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cWhose shoes are these?\u201d\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Es una tarde cualquiera para los ocho miembros de la familia Potts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<!-- end .container -->\r\n\r\n<\/section>\r\n<div class=\"full-width-image\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Photos\/Blog\/Controlled-Chaos-A-scaled-e1636746582830-1400x769.jpg'); --imageratio: 54.926387316%;\"><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"post-image-caption\">\r\n\r\nLa familia Potts (en el sentido de las agujas del reloj desde la parte superior izquierda) est\u00e1 formada por: Ayana, Ajani, Khamani, Paul, Amari, Jabari, Samaya (delante) y Anaya.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<section class=\"post-paragraph\">\r\n<div class=\"container-imported\">\r\n<h2>Un \u00e1rbol geneal\u00f3gico<\/h2>\r\nAyana and her husband Paul live in Rochester and are parents to three adopted and three biological children: Ajani, 13; Khamani, 11; Amari, 9; Anaya, 8; Jabari, 6; and Samaya, 5.\r\n\r\nHaving six kids wasn\u2019t always the plan for Paul and Ayana, but as they realized they had a wonderful home and lots of love to give, their family kept expanding.\r\n\r\nAjani was born in 2003, and Khamani followed two years later. After Khamani was born, Ayana and Paul discussed the possibility of adopting, and shortly thereafter met and fell in love with Amari. During Amari\u2019s adoption process, Ayana became pregnant with Anaya.\r\n\r\nA couple years later, the couple became foster parents to Jabari. When he became eligible for adoption a few months later, Paul and Ayana signed the papers immediately. They had five children, and didn\u2019t plan to have any more. But while awaiting 8-month-old Jabari\u2019s adoption completion, the plan changed.\r\n\r\nAyana received a voicemail from the adoption agency asking her to call back because \u201ca miracle was waiting.\u201d Ayana assumed the call was a follow-up regarding Jabari\u2019s adoption process and called back immediately.\r\nWhen she called back, the agency explained that they had a foster child named Miracle with no place to go who was set to be released from the hospital where she was born.\r\n\r\n\u201cOf course, we couldn\u2019t let her not have a home, so we planned for another baby to join our family,\u201d Ayana said.\r\n\r\nMiracle (whose name was changed to Samaya) found a loving home that day. The Potts family was complete.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<!-- end .container -->\r\n\r\n<\/section>\r\n<div class=\"full-width-image\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Photos\/Blog\/Controlled-Chaos-B-1400x964.jpg'); --imageratio: 68.828125%;\"><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"post-image-caption\">\r\n\r\nSamaya (delante) y Anaya juegan afuera mientras Paul los supervisa.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<section class=\"post-paragraph\">\r\n<div class=\"container-imported\">\r\n<h2>El cuestionario sobre edades y etapas<\/h2>\r\nFamily life is \u201ccontrolled chaos,\u201d Ayana said, but she and Paul hold things together through scheduling, meditation, will and determination\u2014and a little help from United Way for Southeastern Michigan.\r\n\r\nThrough our <a href=\"http:\/\/bibtobackpack.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Babero convertible en mochila <\/a>work, parents and caregivers can access early development resources to help their children reach key developmental milestones in an effort to prepare them for school emotionally, socially and intellectually.\r\n\r\nThe<a href=\"http:\/\/www.helpmegrow-mi.org\/asq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Cuestionario sobre edades y etapas <\/a>is just one of the resources that has had a huge effect on the Potts family\u2019s two youngest children.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe thought getting ready for school was just checking off the supply list,\u201d Ayana said.\r\n\r\nThey soon realized that school preparation entails more than a child\u2019s ability to recognize numbers, colors and letters.\r\n\r\nThe questionnaire takes about 10 minutes to complete and guides parents through an easy-to-read developmental checklist. It covers age-appropriate communication, motor skills, problem solving and personal\/social skills.\r\n\r\nThe Ages and Stages Questionnaire is such an effective tool that we\u2019ve made an investment so that parents and caregivers throughout Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties can use it for free.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<!-- end .container -->\r\n\r\n<\/section>\r\n<div class=\"full-width-image\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/b25ce7545403078799_ibm6yu6z7-1024x657.jpg'); --imageratio: 64.140625%;\"><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"post-image-caption\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text text-center\">Paul y Ayana Potts revisan el cuestionario Ages and Stages. La pareja utiliza varias herramientas proporcionadas por Bib to Backpack de United Way para asegurarse de que sus seis hijos se desarrollan adecuadamente.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<section class=\"post-paragraph\">\r\n<div class=\"container-imported\">\r\n<h2>Superar los retrasos<\/h2>\r\nOnce parents take the questionnaire, they are sent results back within a few days from a specialist. If there are any concerns, the specialist will provide a variety of activities parents can use to help the child get back on track.\r\nPaul and Ayana first used the questionnaire with Amari to determine whether he should start kindergarten or wait another year. They found no delays, and they sent him along.\r\n\r\nWith Jabari, they learned that he struggled with fine motor skills: he was unable to form shapes when using crayons.\r\n\r\nWith those results in mind, Jabari was placed in special education in preschool, where he learned to hold a crayon or pencil and draw a shape.\r\n<blockquote>\u201cSi no hubi\u00e9ramos contado con esos servicios, no creo que Jabari estuviera ahora en primer grado\u201d, dijo Paul. \u201cCreo que probablemente habr\u00eda tenido un retraso\u201d.\u201d<\/blockquote>\r\nSamaya\u2019s delays were different than Jabari\u2019s.\r\n\r\n\u201cShe always fell, and we were writing it off,\u201d Ayana said.\r\n\r\nThey thought Samaya was just clumsy, but eventually they learned that her gross motor skills were severely delayed.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe didn\u2019t know we could work on those things. Building blocks \u2014 just stacking the blocks up \u2014 I had no clue that was an exercise,\u201d Ayana said. \u201cStringing Cheerios \u2014 that\u2019s an exercise. I had no clue. That\u2019s so much fun for the fine motor skills. You\u2019ve got to get the Cheerios on the string and cut the string.\u201d\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<!-- end .container -->\r\n\r\n<\/section>\r\n<div class=\"full-width-image\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Photos\/Blog\/Controlled-Chaos-D-1400x972.jpg'); --imageratio: 69.4140625%;\"><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"post-image-caption\">\r\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text text-center\">Paul Potts ayuda a sus hijos con los deberes. Paul atribuye al cuestionario Ages and Stages Questionnaire el m\u00e9rito de haber ayudado a sus hijos a prepararse para aprender.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<section class=\"post-paragraph\">\r\n<div class=\"container-imported\">\r\n<h2>Empoderar a los padres<\/h2>\r\nAll parents can use a reassuring voice from time to time, and Paul and Ayana benefit greatly from camaraderie with fellow parents through another Bib to Backpack resource, the Great Start Collaborative in Oakland County. There, parents and caregivers can share tips and resources with other parents.\r\n\r\n\u201cA lot of times as parents, when you go through different things \u2014 especially struggles \u2014 you feel quite isolated,\u201d Ayana said.\r\n<blockquote>\u201cDescubrimos que otros padres estaban pasando por exactamente lo mismo que nosotros. No solo fue reconfortante, sino que nos sirvi\u00f3 de v\u00e1lvula de escape y nos ense\u00f1\u00f3 a lidiar con esas situaciones\u201d.\u201d<\/blockquote>\r\nTanto Paul como Ayana est\u00e1n tan convencidos de la importancia del trabajo de desarrollo temprano que decidieron involucrarse a\u00fan m\u00e1s para ayudar a otros padres. Ayana trabaja para <a href=\"http:\/\/greatstarttoquality.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gran comienzo<\/a>, which is a United Way partner in Early Development, and Paul volunteers at a parent group. He was the first father to join, but others have followed suit.\r\n\r\nPaul and Ayana are still in touch with many of the parents they met while involved in early childhood programs.\r\n\r\n\u201cKnowing that we have resources available, it gives so much empowerment to the parent,\u201d Paul said. \u201cIt builds your confidence as a parent. You are more engaged with your children because you want them to be successful from kindergarten on up, so having these resources at your fingertips is really beneficial to all parents.\r\n<blockquote>\u201cSolo esperamos que se difunda cada vez m\u00e1s informaci\u00f3n para que m\u00e1s padres sepan de su existencia. Ha cambiado la estructura de nuestra familia, porque en este momento podr\u00eda ser totalmente diferente.\u201d<\/blockquote>\r\nToday, the Potts children are a flourishing group of diversely talented kids.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019ve got a techie,\u201d Ayana said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got an artist. We\u2019ve got an athlete. And we\u2019ve got an attorney.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe parenting pair advocates for this work, and say it changes lives.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe just hope that more parents learn about it, because it changed our family structure,\u201d Paul said.\r\n\r\n\u201cThere are so many different opportunities that are fun, and they help you because there is such a short period of time when they are younger,\u201d Ayana said. \u201cWith Bib to Backpack, playgroups and parent coalition meetings, and all the great things that can help you build that relationship with your child, it\u2019s a bond that will never go away.\u201d\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<!-- end .container -->\r\n\r\n<\/section>","":null,"settings":""}}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Controlled chaos - United Way for Southeastern Michigan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/impact-stories\/controlled-chaos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Controlled chaos - 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