The Dodsons

Debbie Dodson’s little sister was addicted to meth and overdosed while she was seven-and-a-half months pregnant with Lillie. Lillie was full-term, but she weighed just a little over four pounds when she was born.

After discovering all of Lillie’s health problems, Debbie and her husband took custody of Lillie, nursed her back to health, and started working with parent educator Nancy Booth to track Lillie’s development and wellness.

“I really don’t know what we would have done without her,” Debbie says of Nancy. When she and her husband started taking care of Lillie, they hadn’t had children in the house for almost 20 years. “It was really reassuring to have Parents as Teachers helping us,” Debbie says.

Since Nancy’s visits, Lillie is caught up with other children her age. “She already knows her colors and her ABCs. She can even sign ‘I love you.’”

Debbie says that she knows when she and her husband need help with anything, they can call on Parents as Teachers.