For Parents

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Parent Activities

Parents as Teachers (PAT) is a voluntary family education and support program that begins before birth and extends through kindergarten entry. The program is based on the beliefs that parents are their children’s first and most influential teachers and that the early years lay the foundation for children’s success in school and in life.

PAT recognizes your family’s strengths and that you are the expert on your child. The program helps you become involved from the very beginning of your child’s life.

During personal visits a PAT-certified parent educator, using the nationally-developed Born to Learn™ Curriculum, will help you discover ways to encourage language development, intellectual growth, social development and motor skills, and suggest ways to strengthen your relationship with your child. They will also offer practical ways to encourage learning, manage challenging behavior, and promote strong parent-child relationships.

How can PAT help my child?
Recent neuroscience research on brain development demonstrates how early experiences shape the way children learn, think, and behave for the rest of their lives. In the beginning years, children learn more and at a faster pace than at any other time in their life.

Through PAT, you can acquire skills to help make the most of these crucial early years with your child. PAT children are shown to have positive gains in language development, problem-solving and social skills that carry over into the elementary years.

For more information about PAT evaluation studies click here to visit the PAT National Center web site.