Kansas Parents as Teachers (KPAT)
Parents as Teachers is a voluntary home visiting program offering research-based curricula that help families of children prenatal through kindergarten entry raise children to be healthy, safe, and learning. Parents as Teachers is an evidence-based home visiting model, delivered by trained professionals. Programs (called “Affiliates”) in Kansas follow the essential requirements of the model which provide minimum expectations for program design, infrastructure and delivery.
There are four parts to the Parents as Teachers model. As families engage in each of the following components of Parents as Teachers, they are likely to achieve key goals and outcomes:
- Personal Visits (consistent and planned home visits focused on family and child development)
- Group Connections (group activities that connect families engaged in Parents as Teachers)
- Resource Connections (connecting to resources available in the community)
- Child and Caregiver Screening (family well-being, vision, hearing, child development, etc.)
Together, these services support families in meeting the following goals/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
Visit the Parents as Teachers National Center website (external link) for additional information.
Kansas Parents as Teachers State Office
The Kansas Office of Early Childhood (KOEC) launched July 1, 2026. This new office streamlines nearly 20 state early childhood services and programs that were housed across multiple state agencies, including Kansas Parents as Teachers and other home visiting programs.
Visit koec.ks.gov (external link) for Kansas Office of Early Childhood information, including Kansas Parents as Teachers.
