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Kansas Parents as Teachers

The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) is the State Office for Parents as Teachers (PAT) in Kansas and supports local programs in implementing the Parents as Teachers affiliate model.
 

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 which 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

Kansas Parents as Teachers Statewide Directory

Click here for the Directory of Kansas Parents as Teachers programs to find contact information for a program in your community.

The Parents as Teachers® (PAT) evidence-based affiliate model provides parents with the skills and knowledge they need to help make informed decisions regarding their child’s education. The program includes personal visits, group connections, health, vision, hearing and developmental screenings, and supports family connections with other community services. Additional information about the Parents as Teachers program is available on the PAT National website: www.parentsasteachers.org.

KSDE serves as the Parents as Teachers® State Office and supports local programs with implementing the Parents as Teachers affiliate model. The KPAT program is available to any parent, including fathers, relatives as caregivers, and foster and adoptive parents, who has a child under the age of kindergarten entry and lives within a participating school district.


Kansas Home Visiting

Kansas Parents as Teachers programs partner with other home visiting and early childhood programs to promote access to high quality services for children and families in their communities.  Home visiting in Kansas includes several evidence-based and universal home visiting program and approaches to support families and children from pregnancy until a child enters kindergarten.  Home visiting is a voluntary program that involves the family meeting with a trained, family support professional at a time convenient for families.  Home visitors provide new or expecting parents with resources to keep themselves and their children safe, healthy and nurtured.  Evidenced based home visiting programs are proven to:  support healthy and thriving children; increase parenting knowledge and confidence; strengthen the bond between a parent and a child; and help increase school readiness and success.  For more information about the variety of home visiting programs in Kansas, visit  www.kshomevisiting.org.

Page Links

Early Childhood Home Page
    (General information, Webinars)


Early Childhood Director
Amanda Petersen
apetersen@ksde.org

Kansas Parents as Teachers Consultant
Lisa Williams
lwilliams@ksde.org

Early Childhood Special Education Consultant
Position Open 

Early Childhood /State Preschool Programs Consultant
Natalie McClane
nmcclane@ksde.org

SICC (State Interagency Coordinating Council) Consultant
Stacy Clarke
kansasicc@ksde.org

Problems with this webpage Contact
Beccy Strohm
bstrohm@ksde.org
(785) 296-6602

Early Childhood Fact Sheets

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The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. (more information...)


To accommodate people with disabilities, on request, auxiliary aides and services will be provided and reasonable modifications to policies and programs will be made. To request accommodations or for more information please contact the Office of General Counsel at gc@ksde.org or by 785-296-3201.