Parents as Teachers National Center (PATNC) recently made a commitment to invest back into local PAT programs by awarding a limited number of grants to programs across the country. The grants were highly competitive and five Kansas PAT programs were successful in their bid for funding for special community projects.

Through a PATNC initiative called “Investing in the Power of Families,” 57 grants were awarded nationwide, focusing on one of the following categories: Combatting maternal and infant mortality; family leadership development; workforce development; program quality improvement; marketing/communication support; and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA).

Kansas PAT affiliates that received the PATNC Challenge Grants are:

• Valley Center USD 262 PAT -- $50,000 – Program Quality Improvement
  • Project Goal: Increase literacy, more specifically the importance of early childhood literacy with the use of a bookmobile. A secondary goal is to increase community knowledge of their program which should increase in recruitment and retention of families for the program. The specific need is to help families that do not have access to a variety of books or reading material gain access to literacy materials by connecting them to free resources in the community and surrounding areas.
• Chaparral Schools USD 361 PAT -- $10,000 – Combating Maternal and Infant Mortality
  • Project Goal: Provide safe sleep cribs and safe sleep blankets to expecting mothers in Harper County. The Parents as Teachers program coordinator will pursue a certificate in Infant and Maternal Mental Health to support families in the Harper County community.
• Harvey County USD 373 PAT -- $25,000 – Combating Maternal and Infant Mortality
  • Project Goal: Increase education opportunities for mothers and families prenatally, support perinatal mental health, increase breastfeeding resources and access to breastfeeding supplies, ensure access to supplies for safe sleep environments and infant care and target recruitment to enroll families during the prenatal period. The project will include partnerships with Harvey County Breastfeeding Coalition, Sweet Pea Pantry, KIDS Network and the Baby Talk prenatal education program. 
• Rose Hill USD 394 PAT -- $50,000 – Program Quality and Improvement
  • Project Goal: Embark on a Community Literacy Enrichment Initiative. Their goal is to enrich the lives of all families in our community by constructing permanent StoryWalk® boards around their Community Pond, provide copies of those storybooks to the children that attend their Group Connections to build their family’s home library and collaborate with a local sign language instructor to also bring the love of reading to those that are hard of hearing, deaf, autistic, nonverbal and blind.
• Kansas Parents as Teachers Association -- $25,000 – DEIA
  • Project Goal: Use of evidence-based tools and resources, such as W.K. Kellogg Foundation HR Toolkit for Racial Equity, to develop an optimistic approach that is focused on strength, quality and professional voice. Will use grant funding to enhance educational offerings for KPATA staff, affiliate members and PAT staff statewide to focus on why DEIA is important and the positive impact that appropriate and inclusive interactions can have on families and children in Kansas.

For more information on PATNC Investing in the Power of Families, visit the PATNC website at: Investing in the Power of Families - Parents as Teachers.