CHP Program Spotlight: Parents as Teachers
Post Date: Nov 18, 2020
For children, the period between birth and five years old is the most crucial for development and overall health, which is why it's so important for parents to have support during these years. To help provide that support, Community Health Partners offers a program called Parents as Teachers (PAT), in which a parent educator (sometimes called a home visitor) is matched with a family with one or more zero- to five-year-olds. Parent educators are available to visit the family twice a month for two or more years.
The parent educator's main role is to support them through parenting and provide helpful guidance around child development, age-appropriate activities, creating secure parent-child attachment, and more. They're available to help with everything, from teaching children to managing a busy schedule as new parents and supporting parents' emotional and behavioral health. This program's aim is to create healthier parents and children, both physically and mentally, by providing educated support every step of the way.
What Does a Home Visit Look Like?
Each home visit starts with an activity on the floor with the parent and child, which provides more than just fun. These interactive moments are designed to assess and develop motor skills, cognitive domains, social and emotional development, and language skills.
The parent and parent educator will discuss PAT curriculum development areas like health, attachment, sleep, discipline, nutrition, safety, or transitions. Conversations can also go into family well-being topics like relationships, mental health, early care, education and employment, and physical health. This takes the parent's and the child's health and safety into account, and parent educators can connect families with a great number of community resources for more assistance if needed.
The parent educator brings an age-appropriate book to each visit for the family to keep. Parent educators also use a wide variety of screeners to check for potential issues like depression, home safety, and physical development before they become a problem. During the twice-monthly visits, the curriculum helps foster short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes.
What Does a Home Visit Look Like?
Each home visit starts with an activity on the floor with the parent and child, which provides more than just fun. These interactive moments are designed to assess and develop motor skills, cognitive domains, social and emotional development, and language skills.
The parent and parent educator will discuss PAT curriculum development areas like health, attachment, sleep, discipline, nutrition, safety, or transitions. Conversations can also go into family well-being topics like relationships, mental health, early care, education and employment, and physical health. This takes the parent's and the child's health and safety into account, and parent educators can connect families with a great number of community resources for more assistance if needed.
The parent educator brings an age-appropriate book to each visit for the family to keep. Parent educators also use a wide variety of screeners to check for potential issues like depression, home safety, and physical development before they become a problem. During the twice-monthly visits, the curriculum helps foster short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes.
What are the Outcomes of the Parents as Teachers Program?
The PAT Program is research-based and used on an international scale. All parent educators are licensed and highly trained in educational materials, and the curriculum has been proven to produce positive outcomes.
In the short term, the PAT Program aims to increase healthy pregnancies and positive birth outcomes. It also strives to improve health and family functioning, and promote parenting capacity and parent-child relationships. At an intermediate level, the program can help improve a child's health and development, increase school readiness, and increase parent involvement. The long-term outcomes are fostering strong communities, assisting in creating thriving families, and preparing happy, thriving children to learn.
Who can Benefit From the Parents as Teachers Program?
The PAT Program is available to any family from the time of pregnancy up to 5 years old. Families with low incomes, young parents, substance abuse problems, and families with disabilities receive priority.
In 2019, our PAT home visiting program provided 1,129 home visits to families. It's offered year-round and provides flexible visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parent educators are available in both Livingston and West Yellowstone.
If you think your family could benefit from this program, call John Gregory at 406-823-6356 to be paired with a parent educator.
