Grandma Eva’s Story

To 77-year-old Eva Eicher, it’s all about the kids.

“This can’t be about me,� Eicher said recently. “This has to be about the kids and the program.�

She is talking about her volunteer work teaching pregnant teenagers at Reseda’s Cleveland High School the importance of reading to young children and staying in school.

School administrators estimate the campus currently has about 20 pregnant teens. About five years ago, the school began a pregnant-teen program. For three years it has provided young mothers and mothers-to-be free monthly prenatal exams and parenting classes to teach them to read to their babies, in some cases before they are born. The program is paid for by a $59,000 state grant.

“You never know if after they have their baby they will be open to this,� said school librarian Meredith Reu. “Who better to start with than teen parents, to teach them to turn off the TV and to read to their babies? We only have one chance to reach them.�

This is where Eicher comes in.

Eicher--known on campus as Grandma Eva--is at the heart of the two-hour class held every other week from 1 to 3 p.m. Reading glasses tipped on her nose and her graying hair cut short, Eicher hugs students and corrects their grammar in one fell swoop.

The West Hills resident calls upon years of experience teaching and parenting (she has a total of seven grandchildren and great-grandchildren) to lead the non-credit class in the school library’s “Mommy and Me� room.

The small room was renovated and upgraded last winter with a $1-million state grant and is now a cozy space filled with chairs, children’s books and opportunity.

The sessions provide a forum where the teenagers--who often feel awkward at school--can seek advice. A favorite topic is how to get a rambunctious toddler to nap. Other times, the students want to talk about their struggle to work, make decent grades, maintain a relationship with the baby’s father and raise their child while homework looms.

“They confide in Eva some of the most intimate aspects of their lives,� said Principal Al Weiner. “With Eva, there are no strings attached.�

Eicher began volunteering at Cleveland High School about four years ago doing odds and ends. After working as a substitute teacher at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino for more than 20 years, Eicher said she was not ready to retire.

An acquaintance told her the Cleveland principal was looking for a volunteer in the library.

“She’s incredible,� said Reu, the librarian. “I don’t know what I would do without her.�

Recently, 15-month-old Daisy, 11-month-old Janice and 4-year-old Lupita, their young parents and two expectant mothers gathered around Eicher as she read “Brown Bear Brown Bear� and another book that asked “Who hops?�

“You don’t have to get terribly dramatic,� Eicher told the group, “but do read with a little expression to engage your child.�

She then modeled her advice, delighting the children with various animal sounds.

“Do rhi-rhi-rhinoceroses fly?� she asked, singsong. “I don’t think so!�

Veronica Quinones, 18, has been attending parenting classes since giving birth to Lupita four years ago. She says she reads to her daughter every day. “The Easter Basket� is Lupita’s favorite book.

“She likes for me to read while she’s in the bathtub,� Quinones said.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!� Eicher chimed in. “Read to your child wherever and whenever you can.�

The teenagers listened intently as Eicher shared some tips: Select books with simple visuals and little text; read books about life experiences, such as getting chickenpox, visiting a doctor and the death of a pet; and schedule reading to the child at the same time every day.

After a lesson on how to turn household items into art projects, the bell rang and the mothers packed up.

Janice’s mother, 17-year-old Araceli Sandoval, readied herself for a bus ride to Panorama City, where she is staying. Baby, books and diaper bag in hand, she often makes her load even heavier by checking out children’s books from the library to read to Janice at home.

Quinones said goodbye to Eva too, until the next time.

“It was important that I stayed in school,� said Quinones, who will graduate this year. “Now I can have a career--and show Lupita that she can, too.�