![\"mom-and-son-smiling\"](\"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/story-29.png\")
Carla Jones of Maricopa suspected that something was wrong when her grandson was just 2 years old. Little K\u00e9mon showed signs of learning delays, and mumbled when he spoke and she and her husband Charles couldn\u2019t understand him.<\/p>\nCarla Jones of Maricopa suspected that something was wrong when her grandson was just 2 years old. Little K\u00e9mon showed signs of learning delays, and mumbled when he spoke and she and her husband Charles couldn\u2019t understand him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis words sounded so garbled and he was quiet and stayed to himself most of the time,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n
As K\u00e9mon\u2019s primary caregiver, Jones would sometimes take the boy to work, where she was a hairstylist. One day, Jones told a client about K\u00e9mon and her concerns. Her client\u2014a parent provider specialist with the Family, Friend & Neighbors program of United Way, a caregiver education program funded by First Things First\u2014told Jones how the program helps grandparents who are raising their grandchildren.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis program has been such a blessing to my family,\u201d Jones said. \u201cIt\u2019s helped us understand how the brain functions and how to curb behavioral problems; it\u2019s taught us how to teach our grandchildren to be happier, be stimulated, and have fun learning.\u201d<\/p>\n
A hearing evaluation showed that chronic ear infections had impacted K\u00e9mon\u2019s hearing to the point that he had only 30 percent of his hearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt age three, they ended up doing surgery and corrected the problem, but he was already developmentally behind in speech, language, and even socially,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n
The program helped Jones purchase phonics phones for her to work with the boy at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe lit up when he would talk into them and hear his voice repeated,\u201d Jones said. \u201cNot only did he begin to learn at home quickly, we saw a great personality change in him too. He was excited to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
K\u00e9mon went on to high achievement at Maricopa Elementary School, where he ended the year ranked 6 out of 286 kindergarteners.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow he\u2019s in first grade and he loves math and reading and is sounding words out everywhere we go. Charles and I can\u2019t even \u2018spell\u2019 words to one another in front of him as K\u00e9mon understands the word immediately,\u201d Jones said as she laughed.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"