Bonnie Forsyth
I was born and raised in Creston Iowa. I have always had a big desire to do all I could to make a difference in the lives of children.
I have spent 25 plus years doing child abuse prevention work. From an early home visitation project, to serving eight years on the Prevent Child Abuse Iowa Board and six years on the Iowa Respite and Crisis Care Board, I have always had the goal of bettering the lives of children.
I dearly love being a cheerleader for all of my past and present PAT families. I am honored to be welcomed into my family's homes and lives. I am grateful for the opportunity to make a positive contribution to both the parents and children's day to day experiences. I have always felt that all parents (including myself) want to do the very best job possible of parenting. While great parenting looks very different in each home, all families should have the choice of using services that best fit their needs and goals. Parenting is always about parental choice and parental responsibility, but, because we are a free society we are all in this together.
About Us
Top Row (L to R): Cheryl Weltha, Bonnie Forsyth, Jean Yanders
Bottom Row (L to R): Karen Weinman, Peggy Brady, Vivian de Gonzalez
Bottom Row (L to R): Karen Weinman, Peggy Brady, Vivian de Gonzalez
Peggy BradyI am a native of central Iowa. I received my Bachelor’s of Science Degree in occupational therapy from the College of Saint Catherine in Saint Paul, MN, as well as an Associate’s Degree in medical assisting from Des Moines Area Community College. Over the years, I have worked with children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of settings including home health care, inpatient brain injury rehabilitation and family medicine. I joined PFD in 2007 after spending several busy years at home with my children.
Every day I continue to be impressed by how rapidly a child’s brain learns. It constantly restructures and fine-tunes itself based on the child’s experiences. Even when a parent may not realize they are teaching their child, they are always teaching their child. One of my goals as a parent educator is to help parents know they are not alone on this journey. The social support parents can receive from one another is important as parents build friendships and struggle with common concerns together. PAT is here to lend support, encouragement, and provide parents with research-based information on how the child grows and learns. I am here to fit into your life and help you reach your goals for your child.
In my spare time I enjoy gardening, the outdoors, animals, scrap booking, church activities, and of course -- family time. My husband and I have three school-age children and live in rural Adel.
Jean YandersI am beginning my third year as a Parent Educator for Partners in Family Development. Prior to that I taught Preschool and Preschool Special Education for 21 years. I have degrees in Elementary Education, Special Education and Early Childhood, as well as a minor in Music which keeps a song in my heart.
The role of a Parent Educator fits me like a glove. I was ready to retire from public education but I knew I would miss the children and their families. I scoured the PAT web site to check for any hidden agendas. I pleasantly found that they have the same passion for children as I do and their information is all researched-based. These qualities were confirmed as I went through their phenomenal training, filling in all the gaps that were missing from my college experience.
The most rewarding part of my work is the smiles from parents and children when the door opens for me. One little boy called me "Grandma" at first and now I hear his little feet running to the door as he yells "Jean's here, Jean's here!" The parents all relax when they realize I am not there to “boss” them around but to share good information about their child's development and encourage them in their walk through parenthood.
My husband of 37 years and I have 3 grown children and we just welcomed our first granddaughter who joins our 3 grandsons. I am quite active in our church ministries, love gardening and have a passion for natural health and alternative medicine. I am also taking a Spanish class to help me communicate better with our Latino families in the community
Karen Weinman I have been a Parent Educator with PAT for eleven years. I received my degree in Elementary Education from Morningside College in Sioux City. My background working with young children includes teaching kindergarten, 4 and 5 year old preschool, and running an in-home day care.
I am constantly growing in my understanding of young children. I love visiting with my PAT families! It is wonderful to see children grow and learn with loving and gentle guidance from their parents. I use a lot of my experiences raising my own children to give examples of what has worked for me (and what hasn't!). I tell my PAT parents that parenting is the most important and possibly the most challenging job you will ever do, but the rewards are priceless.
My husband Joe and I have four children and two granddaughters. In my spare time, I enjoy following my own family in their activities as well as sewing and reading.
Vivian de Gonzalez
My name is Vivian D. de Gonzalez and I am a mother of five sons and a grandmother of two beautiful grandchildren. I have been working with families for more than 20 years. As I think why I chose this area of service, I find that the opportunity to support parents and to provide them with research-based information is what keeps me fueled to continue in helping others.
Being a parent can be very challenging at times but supporting families can help parents feel less stress. I remember when my second son was just about 8 months old, we hurried him to his doctor’s appointment and found ourselves sitting and waiting. With my son on my lap he decided he was not going to sit and wait, he was going to communicate. So he launched his bottle in front of himself within reach of a very kind woman who would pick it up and give it to him along with a small tickle and smile. My son was learning "cause and effect" and communication. I apologized and felt embarrassed but later realized that this was a learning moment that I had taken for granted.
The PAT program encourages parents to celebrate these types of child successes through observation and everyday learning experiences.
My name is Vivian D. de Gonzalez and I am a mother of five sons and a grandmother of two beautiful grandchildren. I have been working with families for more than 20 years. As I think why I chose this area of service, I find that the opportunity to support parents and to provide them with research-based information is what keeps me fueled to continue in helping others.
Being a parent can be very challenging at times but supporting families can help parents feel less stress. I remember when my second son was just about 8 months old, we hurried him to his doctor’s appointment and found ourselves sitting and waiting. With my son on my lap he decided he was not going to sit and wait, he was going to communicate. So he launched his bottle in front of himself within reach of a very kind woman who would pick it up and give it to him along with a small tickle and smile. My son was learning "cause and effect" and communication. I apologized and felt embarrassed but later realized that this was a learning moment that I had taken for granted.
The PAT program encourages parents to celebrate these types of child successes through observation and everyday learning experiences.