Parents as Teachers program helps parents help children
Brenton Fortner, above, interacts with Cristel Roller, parent as teacher educator for the Cassville R-IV district.
March 10, 2021
Sheila Harris
Barry County school districts currently have openings for families interested in participating in the national Parents as Teachers program.
Parents as Teachers (PAT) began in Missouri in 1981 as a pilot program for the first-time mothers of newborns. It’s since expanded into all 50 states and benefits families with children from birth through age five.
Because research shows that parental involvement is critical to the development of a child’s learning skills - including reading and writing - the program is designed to enhance that link.
Available in most Barry County school districts, Parents as Teachers (PAT) provides parents with age-appropriate curricula, as well as information about the developmental milestones they can reasonably expect from their children at certain ages. Assessment screenings are offered, and parents are given suggestions for activities they can engage in with their child to help spark his or her critical thinking skills.
Weaver said the school receives regular inquiries from parents about their child’s development.
“Those parents are who this program is for,” she said. “We offer information, support and encouragement.”
“The focus of the program is to help parents help their children,” Eunice Thomas Elementary principal, Catherine Weaver, said. “Plus, it’s a great networking opportunity for parents.
“We try to provide group activities for families on a regular basis so that parents can connect with other parents with children of the same age,” she added.
According to Weaver, PAT training can begin before birth, with prenatal suggestions for mothers – often first-time mothers – who are sometimes a little nervous.
“As an example, one thing PAT can offer new mothers is an idea for a daily routine for little ones, for whom consistency is so important,” Weaver said.
While home visits can be arranged, alternatives are also available, Weaver says.
“In Cassville, we have a separate facility – a little brown house behind the Intermediate School – set aside for Cassville Parents as Teachers appointments,” Weaver said.
While school districts receive some state funding for the PAT program, Weaver said it doesn’t begin to cover the cost of the program, which is about half to three-quarters locally funded.
The Cassville school district currently has two Parents as Teachers educators - Christel Roller and Angela Burns – who serve 55 families.
Roller says guidelines for age-specific milestones are quite general. She cites walking as an example.
“Our PAT guidelines say that a child should be comfortably walking on their own anywhere from 14 to 24 months. So, if you’re child isn’t walking without assistance by 15 months, there’s no cause for alarm. They may be completely mobile by 16 months. However, if they’re not walking on their own by age 24 months, then a parent might want to consider consulting with a doctor to see if there are physical reasons why a child is not walking.”
Questions like these are fielded by Roller and Burns on a regular basis.
“Screenings can be conducted at different ages, too,” Roller said, “to determine how children are developing both mentally and physically. Based on the results, we offer teaching suggestion so parents can focus on areas of weakness.”
Cassville Parents as Teachers currently has openings for more families who are interested in becoming a part of the program. In the PAT program, visits are scheduled as infrequently as once a month, or as often as twice a week, depending upon the needs or desires of the children and parents.
For more information about Parents as Teachers programs in Barry County, please reach out to one of the following school district contacts: Cassville, 417-847-2445; Southwest, 417-826-5696; Purdy, [email protected]; Exeter, 417-835-2922; Shell Knob, 417-858-6743; Wheaton, 417-652-3914.
Sheila Harris
Barry County school districts currently have openings for families interested in participating in the national Parents as Teachers program.
Parents as Teachers (PAT) began in Missouri in 1981 as a pilot program for the first-time mothers of newborns. It’s since expanded into all 50 states and benefits families with children from birth through age five.
Because research shows that parental involvement is critical to the development of a child’s learning skills - including reading and writing - the program is designed to enhance that link.
Available in most Barry County school districts, Parents as Teachers (PAT) provides parents with age-appropriate curricula, as well as information about the developmental milestones they can reasonably expect from their children at certain ages. Assessment screenings are offered, and parents are given suggestions for activities they can engage in with their child to help spark his or her critical thinking skills.
Weaver said the school receives regular inquiries from parents about their child’s development.
“Those parents are who this program is for,” she said. “We offer information, support and encouragement.”
“The focus of the program is to help parents help their children,” Eunice Thomas Elementary principal, Catherine Weaver, said. “Plus, it’s a great networking opportunity for parents.
“We try to provide group activities for families on a regular basis so that parents can connect with other parents with children of the same age,” she added.
According to Weaver, PAT training can begin before birth, with prenatal suggestions for mothers – often first-time mothers – who are sometimes a little nervous.
“As an example, one thing PAT can offer new mothers is an idea for a daily routine for little ones, for whom consistency is so important,” Weaver said.
While home visits can be arranged, alternatives are also available, Weaver says.
“In Cassville, we have a separate facility – a little brown house behind the Intermediate School – set aside for Cassville Parents as Teachers appointments,” Weaver said.
While school districts receive some state funding for the PAT program, Weaver said it doesn’t begin to cover the cost of the program, which is about half to three-quarters locally funded.
The Cassville school district currently has two Parents as Teachers educators - Christel Roller and Angela Burns – who serve 55 families.
Roller says guidelines for age-specific milestones are quite general. She cites walking as an example.
“Our PAT guidelines say that a child should be comfortably walking on their own anywhere from 14 to 24 months. So, if you’re child isn’t walking without assistance by 15 months, there’s no cause for alarm. They may be completely mobile by 16 months. However, if they’re not walking on their own by age 24 months, then a parent might want to consider consulting with a doctor to see if there are physical reasons why a child is not walking.”
Questions like these are fielded by Roller and Burns on a regular basis.
“Screenings can be conducted at different ages, too,” Roller said, “to determine how children are developing both mentally and physically. Based on the results, we offer teaching suggestion so parents can focus on areas of weakness.”
Cassville Parents as Teachers currently has openings for more families who are interested in becoming a part of the program. In the PAT program, visits are scheduled as infrequently as once a month, or as often as twice a week, depending upon the needs or desires of the children and parents.
For more information about Parents as Teachers programs in Barry County, please reach out to one of the following school district contacts: Cassville, 417-847-2445; Southwest, 417-826-5696; Purdy, [email protected]; Exeter, 417-835-2922; Shell Knob, 417-858-6743; Wheaton, 417-652-3914.