Parents as Teachers is a free service that provides information, support and encouragement that parents need to help their children ages prenatal to kindergarten entry during the crucial early years of life.

Sherry Stockley
Parent Educator
Email Sherry Stockley
Office: 573-468-5171 Ext: 4305
Parents as teachers

Parents as Teachers (PAT)

Parents as Teachers is a free service that provides information, support and encouragement that parents need to help their children ages prenatal to kindergarten entry during the crucial early years of life.

Why Choose Parents as Teachers?

Parents as Teachers is a partnership between the family and home, Strain-Japan R-16 School, and the community to give all children the best possible start in life. Parents are their child's first and most influential teachers. Scientists have proven that experiences in the earliest years' make a physical difference in the structure of a child's brain. Your child's growth and development during the first three years' of life will be the foundation for success in learning.

The Parents as Teachers program offers four important components of support for families:

Personal Visits

• Group Connections

• Screenings Resource Network

Who Are Parent Educators?

A Parent Educator is degreed mentor who has been certified by Parents as Teachers in Early Childhood. They visit families and engage the parents and children in activities, provide information about child development, and discuss parenting issues and concerns with the family. Research has shown that children whose parents were involved in PAT were better prepared for Kindergarten in the areas of language, social development, problem solving and intellectual abilities. They also scored higher on standardized measures of reading and math achievement than did comparison children. A Parent Educator will be assigned to your family after you register. Your Parent Educator will discuss convenient appointment times to meet with you and your baby/child.

Developmental Screening

Screening is the process of measuring a child's development in the areas of:

1. Speech and Language

2. Motor Skills

3. General Knowledge

4. Hearing

5. Vision

Children grow and change rapidly through the early years. A screening each year prior to kindergarten helps parents know if their child is developing within the normal range for his or her age.