About
Being a parent is hard work.
In the first few years, children learn more and at a faster pace than at any other time in life. You help shape your child's future through the kinds of experiences you provide. Your baby was born to learn, and as a parent, you are your child's first and most important teacher.
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What is Parents as Teachers?
Parents as Teachers (PAT) is a parent-education and family support program serving families throughout pregnancy until their child enters kindergarten, usually age 5.
Parents are supported by PAT-certified parent educators specially trained to translate scientific information on early brain development into specific when, what, how and why advice for families. By understanding what to expect during each stage of development, parents can easily capture the teachable moments in everyday life to enhance their child’s language development, intellectual growth, social development and motor skills.
Our Approach
The Parents as Teachers approach is to partner, facilitate and reflect.
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Partner: ​​We welcome expectant families and those with children up to five years old to choose Parents as Teachers regardless of their background or circumstances. We strive to serve all because we care about the well-being of every family.
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Facilitate: Our services are delivered by Parent Educators who focus on understanding each family’s specific strengths. By building trust, we can better support the whole family.
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Reflect: Parents as Teachers engages with families in environments that are most convenient and comfortable for them. Our Parent Educators provide emotional support and access to knowledge and additional resources. They are not there to evaluate or judge.
Program Goals
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Increase parent knowledge of early childhood development and improve parenting practices
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Provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues
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Improve parent, child, and family health and well-being.
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Prevent child abuse and neglect
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Increase children's school readiness and success
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Improve family economic well-being
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Strengthen community capacity and connectedness
What Do We Offer?
Personal Home Visits: during which your parent educator will share age-appropriate child development and parenting information, help you learn to observe your child, and address your parenting concerns.
Developmental Screenings: to assess your child's overall development as well as health, hearing and vision.
Group Connections: which are opportunities to share information about parenting issues and child development. Parents learn and support each other, observe their children with other children and practice parenting skills.
Resource Network: that links your family to other community services.