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Parents as Teachers promotes learning
From a distance, it all looks like fun as children play, but don’t let the high energy fool you. Real learning is taking place at the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program. For example, Andrea Bowen’s son entered the PAT program communicating at a 15-month-old speech level, but it didn’t last long.
“Within weeks of being enrolled, he had a learning explosion,” Bowen said. “He’s now using three-word sentences. He was very behind at one time and now he’s on track. This program gives me pointers of things I can practice throughout the week and it has helped with our everyday life.”
Mary Noskowiak, another parent who participates in the PAT program, recalls how repeat ear infections impacted her son’s ability to speak clearly and how quickly the PAT program helped make a difference. “It is frustrating as a parent when your child can’t communicate clearly with you,” Noskowiak said. “I now know exactly what he wants. It’s so rewarding. It is a night and day difference.”
Parents as Teachers (PAT) is a free program open to all families from prenatal to age 5 in the Waynesville R-VI School District. The program is housed at Williams Early Childhood Center. PAT offers both home visits that are prearranged with families and a group session at the Pulaski County Library’s Waynesville location on Wednesdays. As a bonus, librarians read a children’s book to the children each week.
“We have had so many success stories,” said Beth Armstrong, PAT parent educator. “Parents want their children to have this extra set of eyes to make sure their child’s development is age appropriate.”
Students who are on target for their age level receive tips for continued advances in learning, while students who are delayed receive personalized assistance to meet their specific need. PAT educators often refer parents to other resources in the community, including their child’s pediatricians, First Step and Williams Early Childhood Center.
“We check milestones, encourage age-appropriate activities and help parents with everything from potty training to routines to sleep concerns to nutrition—anything to promote a positive parent-child interaction,” said Sheila Layman, PAT parent educator. “Everything is a case-by-case basis.”
Brand promise
The Parents as Teachers Brand Promise is to actively engage families to ensure their children are healthy, safe, learning and ready for school.
“You want your child to be successful in school and this program helps prepare them,” Bowen said. “It’s a good feeling to know you have support. It’s not all about what’s going on here; they also tell you about other programs being offered in the community.”
Sandi Rodriguez originally became involved in the program because her oldest son was not speaking as much as she hoped by age 2. She joined Parents as Teachers to have her son evaluated to determine his level and to get specific advice about how to promote his verbal skills.
“Our parent educator gave us activities to do and he was talking within a matter of weeks,” Rodriguez said. “It helped tremendously to have a professional working with him—someone who knows how to work with children, not just alongside them. It also helped just having him at a playgroup with his peers.”
Now, her third child participates in the PAT program.
“I can keep track of their milestones and where they are supposed to be,” Rodriguez said. “It’s great for them to visit with other children and have someone other than a parent monitoring them. It’s also great to get out of the house. He gets to play and make friends and so do I.”
A friend told Kelsey Alsup about the Parents as Teachers program and with her oldest in school, Alsup wanted her youngest to have other children to play with in a safe environment.
“I want her to have social interaction with her peers—to have someone her age to play with,” Alsup said. “It’s such a blessing to come and to have activities that are on her level with friends her age to play with. She has really learned how to behave with her peers and learned what’s appropriate behavior. She has learned to be gentle while playing and of course, she’s grown and changed like crazy.”
Parent network
In addition to offering activities for children, parents have an opportunity to network.
“New families who move to the community can feel alone and this provides them with an opportunity to have socialization with local families as well,” Armstrong said.
Concerns about her child’s verbal skills initially brought Mary Noskowiak to the group, but beyond her son’s progress, she enjoys the camaraderie.
“Some of us are military and some of us are not and that allows us to connect and create a community,” Noskowiak said. “Other parents help us with ideas about where to shop and where to eat. I feel that I can talk with everyone. We all have different stories but we come together and meet as one team.”
While the playgroup at the library is fun, the home visits are the most rewarding for Noskowiak.
“Miss Beth is somebody else for my son to learn from other than just me as the mom,” Noskowiak said. “He gets to see all these different toys and puzzles and try different patterns.”
Home visits focus on parent-child interaction, the family well-being and developmental-centered parenting.
“The PAT program is as much about the parents as it is about the children,” Armstrong said. “We want our parents to know that we are here to help and we are always just a phone call away.”
For more information about the PAT program, parents may contact Beth Armstrong at barmstrong@waynesville.k12.mo.us or Sheila Layman at slayman@waynesville.k12.mo.us.