The Parents as Teachers Program and School Success: A Replication and Extension

The PAT program was founded on the belief that parents are their child's first and most influential teacher. Universal access is a core value: all parents deserve support in their parenting role and should have the choice to participate in supportive services if they wish. The staff forges partnerships with parents by identifying parental strengths and building upon them. Staff members individualize the programs to each family's circumstances, identify potential problems in child development, and offer help as early as possible. Local programs adapt the PAT model to fit the community and population served.

Home visitation is the heart of the PAT program. Visits are scheduled monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly according to family preference and need, and they may begin before the child is born. PAT-certified parent educators, trained in child development and home visiting, help parents learn appropriate expectations for each stage of their child's development. They model and involve parents in activities with their children that encourage learning and promote strong parent–child relationships. Book sharing is part of every visit. The revised curriculum, Born to Learn (Parents as Teachers National Center 1999) was developed collaboratively with neuroscientists at Washington University in St. Louis and incorporates the latest knowledge concerning early brain development.

PAT staff also schedule parent group meetings to provide additional input from the staff or outside speakers, to allow parents to share successes and common concerns about their children's behavior, and to help parents build support networks. Meetings are sometimes combined with social events. Many programs offer drop-in and play times to provide families with the opportunity to use the PAT center's facilities with their children, visit with other parents, and talk informally with the parent educator.