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EXETER — The preschool and pre-kindergarten students at the When I Grow Up Childcare and Learning Center were treated with a visit from West Pittston police officer Jessica Mancus-Bartalotta on Monday, March 30.
An officer of 26 years, she spent some time with the students talking about public safety and what the students should do in case of an emergency.
Owner and director of the When I Grow Up Childcare and Learning Center Rebecca Holl said Mancus-Bartalotta was just one of many presenters to the students over the past few weeks on public safety.
“We’re doing different community workers,” said Holl. “We started out with firemen, now we’re doing police and then we’re going to go on to a couple of different things. Plus, just to introduce them to a police officer and get them familiar with what they do and not to be afraid of them.”
As the 11 young students filed into the classroom where they would be speaking with Mancus-Bartalotta, some of them appeared frightened by her appearance, which was something Holl wanted to address.
“A lot of times parents will say, ‘If you’re bad, I’m going to call the police and they’ll come take you away,’” said Holl. “We don’t want them afraid of the police. We want them to know that if there is ever an emergency, they can go to the police and they can trust them.”
As the presentation went on, Mancus-Bartalotta asked students questions about who they should call in case of an emergency and the importance of knowing the numbers 9-1-1.
This was not the first time she spoke with students on safety issues and the importance of them knowing that the police are people youngsters should go to for help.
“I’ve done this kind of program before,” said Mancus-Bartalotta. “I think it’s good for them to not be afraid. If there are a couple in the group that are afraid, I think it breaks that barrier down especially with parents telling them, ‘If you don’t behave I’m going to have the cops come get you or take you over to the jail.’ This breaks that barrier, I feel. If they have a question, you’re in the room sitting right there with them, they can ask something and not be afraid.”
The students in attendance that were afraid of Mancus-Bartalotta in the beginning began to come out of their shells and have conversations with her as the morning went on. Those students started to ask questions while at the same time were eager to answer questions she asked them.
If students begin to show signs of trust with the police officer, Mancus-Bartalotta knows she did her job right.
“I think the first-name basis, Officer Jessica, as opposed to the last name makes a detachment,” said Mancus-Bartalotta. “It makes you a real person. That’s why I tell them I have kids of my own and that besides wearing this uniform we are real people when we take this uniform off and go home. We do real things — we do things with our kids and we have a house just like you and sometimes I think there’s that separation with us, that all we are is a uniform.”
As the presentation neared its end, students began began to shy away from the police talk and wanted to talk with Mancus-Bartalotta about their own personal lives. Holl’s own daughter, Jenna, approached Mancus-Bartalotta multiple times after the presentation to talk about her cat.
It was safe to say in Holl’s eyes that the goal to get the students accepting of Mancus-Bartalotta and the police was a success.
“She was fabulous,” said Holl. “She got down to the level of the kids and explained to the kids not to be afraid and call 9-1-1 in an emergency. She was great with the kids and it’s great to see a police officer get a positive reaction from the community, which is what we were trying to achieve.”