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.
Find Your Local Parents as Teachers Program
Visit the 2025-2026 Parents as Teachers Program Directory (PDF) to find contact information for programs in local communities.
Kansas Parents as Teachers State Office
The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) serves as the Parents as Teachers® State Office and supports local programs with implementing the Parents as Teachers affiliate model.
KSDE will continue to administer Kansas Parents as Teachers for the 2025-2026 school year. Beginning July 1, 2026, the new Kansas Office of Early Childhood will be responsible for state-level administration of home visitation programs, including Kansas Parents as Teachers. Lisa Williams will remain the Kansas Parents as Teachers state coordinator through this transition.
If a district is not currently providing Parents as Teachers services, partnering with existing programs is an effective strategy to expand programming.
In April 2025, the Kansas State Board of Education approved Kansas Parents as Teachers Grants for Fiscal Year 2026 (the 2025-2026 school year). Visit the April 2025 Kansas State Board of Education Meeting Materials (page 40) for the 2025-2026 Kansas Parents as Teachers grant awards. See the Fiscal Year 2026 Kansas Parents as Teachers Grant Application (PDF) for additional information.
Each year all Parents as Teachers programs complete an Affiliate Performance Report (APR). Contact Kansas Parents as Teachers Coordinator Lisa Williams to request a current or historical copy of the Kansas statewide report summarizing the services provided by all Kansas programs.
