The Parents as Teachers National Center recently highlighted the Beloit Parents as Teachers (PAT) Consortium’s group connection activity – a visit to the local airport hangar. The families got to see the airplanes and learn about flight. Click this link to read the story.

Group connections play an important role in building parents’ involvement in their children’s education. These activities are important to bring parents together to learn, interact with their children in a setting outside the home, and engage with other parents. Intentional planning and facilitation of groups allow families to get to know one another, share common experiences, explore parenting issues, and learn about child development.  

Group connections are one of the four dynamic components to the Parents as Teachers model that also include the following:

• Personal visits
• Resource network
• Child and caregiver screenings

Together, the four components form the following comprehensive set of services to reach seven evidence-based goals and outcomes:

• Increase parent knowledge of early childhood development and improve positive parenting practices.
• Provide early detection of developmental delays and connection to services.
• Improve parent, child and family health and well-being.
• Prevent child abuse and neglect.
• Increase children’s school readiness and success.
• Improve family economic well-being.
• Strengthen community capacity and connectedness.

For more information about the Kansas PAT program, contact Lisa Williams, KSDE Parents as Teachers coordinator, lisa.williams@ksde.gov.