Gwen Stokes has been a special instructor for Happy Hearts for the past five years, but she’s been in early intervention since she graduated from Bloomsburg University in 1999 with a masters degree in special education and teaching. “I was always drawn to early learning because it’s so important for later in life that kids have a good start,” she shares. “I like to watch how quickly they’re growing and learning at this age.”
In addition to working part time for Happy Hearts, Gwen has also worked for the Schuylkill Intermediate Unit for 25 years. She started as a special education teacher in the 3-5 preschool population for 7 years, and then went back to school and got a masters degree in speech and language pathology from West Chester University. She now serves as a speech therapist and part of their evaluation team to determine if children aged 3-5 qualify for early intervention services.
In 2019, she felt ready for a bit of a change. Her kids were growing up and becoming more independent. A coworker worked part time for Happy Hearts and seemed to really like it. Gwen reached out and soon came on board as a part-time special instructor. Gwen and Jess, the founder of Happy Hearts, later discovered they had a mutual friend, Amy Hoehn-Powell, who was a speech therapist specializing in cochlear implants for A.I. DuPont and is currently a speech therapist in Arizona.
While the 0-3 population was new to her, two decades at the Schuylkill IU gave her lots of transferable experience. As a special instructor, she helps children develop early learning skills, such as play skills, joint attention, and speech and language development. Because of her speech background, she particularly enjoys using self talk and narration of play to build on the language skills children already have.
Because she joined Happy Hearts in the fall of 2019, it became a trial by fire when COVID hit and it suddenly became apparent how quickly things can change. “If you’re not flexible and adaptable you’re kind of left in the wind,” she says. “COVID proved that after 22 years this old dog was still able to learn new tricks.”
Now that she’s settled into her role, Gwen still feels like she’s learning something new every day. That may include new job related tasks, new skills or strategies to help families, or family traditions or routines she’s never encountered before. “I want parents to know that I'm flexible, I'm willing to learn new things, and I'm open to their suggestions as much as they're open to mine. I also like to have a lot of fun. One of my favorite parts of this job is meeting new families.”
For caregivers who are new to early intervention, she has two pieces of advice.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Embrace the process and take time to enjoy it.
When Gwen’s not working she likes spending time with her husband and two kids, who are 22 and 17. She also enjoys reading by the pool, mostly mysteries and thrillers, but occasionally a good tearjerker like her recent favorite, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
Comments