Program Overview

Young couple holding baby and gazing adoringly at each other.

“Not only is Parents As Teachers an important tool in the upbringing of our children, it is also a great support system for parents. The information and skills that are presented by the Parent Educators are not only essential to the present and future education of our children, but also fundamental for my role of being a good parent.”

Jennifer Clark, Wichita

Parents As Teachers (PAT) is here to help you!

The program is designed to enhance child development through parent participation and education. A staff of certified Parent Educators take scientific information about early brain development, and break it down into specific when, what, how and why advice for families. Then parents, by understanding what to expect during each stage of a child’s development, can easily capture the teachable moments in everyday life to enhance their child’s language, intellectual growth, social development and motor skills.

PAT is a primary prevention program. It maximizes a child’s overall development during the first three years of life, thus laying the foundation for school success and minimizes developmental problems that might interfere with learning. Recognizing that all families can benefit from this kind of support, Parents As Teachers families come in all configurations, and from all socio-economic levels. Experience has shown that everyone wants to be a good parent, and the support PAT offers helps that happen.

PAT Services

  • Personalized Visits- Usually conducted in your home, a Parent Educator will share age-appropriate child development and parenting information; help you learn to observe your child; and address your parenting concerns.
  • Playgroups – An informal hour with a Parent Educator in a safe and educational environment to encourage children to develop a wide range of age-appropriate skills. There are many locations to choose from, and the playgroups are free.
  • Group Meetings– Enhance parents’ knowledge of child development and promotes improved parenting practices relating to special topics.
  • Screenings – Accesses your child’s overall development, including health, hearing and vision, conducted by a PAT Parent Educator.
  • Resource Network– Links for your family to other community services.

Young boy playing in white laundry basket.The PAT Parent Educators

Wichita is very fortunate to have a highly qualified staff of Parent Educators to serve the families in the USD 259 Wichita Public School District. Parent Educators help parents understand the critical importance of children’s early years and suggest ways in which parents can be their child’s first and most influential teacher.

A Parent Educator is trained and certified to make personalized home visits, conduct parent group meetings, give developmental and health screenings for young children, and give parents recommendations to community resources.

Teen Support Group Meetings

Services by Parents As Teachers can be found in all Wichita high schools. Teen group meetings allow pregnant and parenting teens (both male and female) to share common parenting concerns and issues.

Being a teen parent is difficult because the adolescent is still developing his or her own identity, but must now cope with yet another role. PAT offers a constructive insight into teen parents, their children and the issues they face through the support of Teen Support Group Meetings. This program empowers young parents to give their children the best possible start in life as well as a solid foundation for success in school.

The Goals of the Teen Support Group Meetings:

  • Help teens learn what to expect in their children’s development, strengthening the parent-child bond
  • Help young mothers and fathers understand the crucial role of helping the baby to grow and develop in special ways
  • Encourage teens to graduate by working in connection with the school support team
  • Empower teen parents as their children’s first teacher through a variety of group meeting topics
  • Provide opportunity for group dialogue to share and discuss common challenges and solutions
  • Connect teens to community resources as needed

Young boy in overalls laying on his stomach.PAT High School Locations:

East High School, 973-7200Heights High School, 973-1400
Metro-Boulevard Alternative High School, 973-0500
Metro-Midtown Alternative High School, 973-6350
North High School, 973-6300
Northeast Magnet, 973-2300
Northwest High School, 973-6000
South High School, 973-5450
Southeast High School, 973-2700
West High School, 973-3600

Research Findings

The National PAT office has done research and has found:

  • PAT children outscored their peers on measures of school readiness and later school achievement
  • PAT children were more advanced than other 3 year-olds in language and social development, problem-solving, and other intellectual skills
  • PAT children performed better than non-PAT children in elementary school
  • PAT parents took a more active role in their children’s schooling than did non-PAT parents
  • PAT was found to reduce placement in special education; and lowered the incidences of abuse and neglect

Quality Standards

In September 2003, the Wichita Parents As Teachers program began a process to evaluate the services offered to families, with the goal being to increase the quality of the PAT program from every aspect. This self-assessment process was initiated by the PAT National Center, and Wichita is just one of the few programs across the country that is leading the way in helping to make PAT stronger than ever.

The evaluations have been completed, and now we are ready to go forward in implementing the changes that have been recommended. It has been an exciting process, and we look forward to improving our services for parents and children.

Woman and toddler laying on floor drawing.Literacy Focus

Parents As Teachers recognizes early literacy as an important foundation for school readiness. Personal visits, group meetings and screenings all draw on the various aspects of nurturing the ability to read. Parent Educators work with parents and children on: symbolic development, listening, spoken language, written language, knowledge of print and books, and language sounds.

Each personal home visit includes reading or sharing a book with the family being served. Also most playgroups end with a literacy focus of either reading books or singing rhyming songs.

Early Learning Room

This room is your resource to use! It is full of ideas and activities that are available for you to do with your child. Located in the Joyce Focht Instructional Support Center, 412 S. Main, room 13 (in the Parent Teacher Resources Center). Please call 973-5130 for hours of operation, or check the PTR Center hours on the back page of the PAT newsletter. While you are enjoying the Early Learning Room, there is free babysitting available.

You may check out the following for up to two weeks at a time, from the main desk in the PTR Center: Young boy on red tricycle.

  • An educational toy and book in a tub (each activity is color-coded by age categories)
  • Books for children
  • Books for parents (topics such as: activities to do with children; adoption; discipline; education; health; special issues)
  • Videos on parenting topics

There are also handouts on:

  • Early Learning Activities – birth to 5 years
  • Language Arts and Math – Pre K to Kindergarten
  • Beginning Sounds – Pre K to Kindergarten  

Contact Us

If you have any questions or would like to know more about our program, please call 973-5160, or email us at nrasmussen@usd259.net.

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