Parents as Teachers is an international early childhood parent education
and family support program that begins prenatally and extends through
age 5. The program is designed to enhance child development and school
achievement through parent education that is free and accessible
to all families in the state of Wisconsin.
It is a voluntary program that provides the families in Wisconsin with
the opportunity to receive:
- Personal visits - which occur weekly, bi-weekly or monthly
based on the family needs
- Group Meetings - parent group meetings that are informational and
or interactive in nature
- Screenings - periodic screenings for early identification
of developmental delays or health, vision and hearing problems
- Resource and Referrals - linking families to needed resources
and helping them overcome barriers to accessing those services
In Wisconsin, our PAT Parent Educators are trained and certified to
use the PAT research based curriculum on their home visits. These visits
provide families with appropriate child development information and meaningful
parent/child activities focused on enhancing language development, intellectual
growth, social development and motor skills. In addition, the Parent
Educators assist the family member in becoming a better observer of their
child and also to address any questions or concerns of the family member.
It is a definite partnership that recognizes the parent as the child's
first and best teacher
Becoming a PAT State Systems Office requires an application process and
a strong commitment to the home visiting programs within the state.
It requires that your office will:
- support the Parents as Teachers National Center vision,
mission and core values and dedicate themselves to building
high quality PAT programs within the state.
- be a strong supporter of early childhood parent education
and comprehensive services for all children and families
with the state.
- establish strategic alliances in the state that work
to benefit all families and be actively involved with state
legislators and state initiatives addressing the needs
of young children and their families.
- serve as a prime source of PAT information to all home
visiting programs within the state.
- provide supervision, technical assistance and support
to home visiting programs throughout the state.
- provide ongoing training for Parent Educators/Supervisors/Directors
that supports the work of the Parents as Teachers National
Center, the PAT State Systems Office and the local PAT
programs.
- provide two Born to Learn P-3 Institutes and one Born
to Learn 3-K Institutes per year for potential parent educators.
- attend the Parents as Teachers Affiliate meetings regularly
as well as the Parents as Teachers National Conference
Did you know that you can help your child get ready to read even while
he is very young? When an infant shows excitement over pictures next
to his crib, or a toddler turns the pages of a board book, or a preschooler
recognizes the first letter of his name on a cereal box, each is demonstrating
emerging literacy skills. Reading to your child from birth is the best
way to make him a successful reader when he starts school.
Reading experts Susan Hall and Louise Moats sum up the benefits of reading
aloud to your child in the early years. Your child:
- develops background knowledge for more complicated learning
- builds vocabulary
- is exposed to rich language patterns
- learns the structure of a story
- learns how to handle books and becomes familiar with
reading
- identifies reading as a pleasurable activity
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