The Kansas State Department of Education is proud to celebrate the success of the most recent group of Kansas Parents as Teachers programs to earn a prestigious endorsement from Parents as Teachers National Center (PATNC) called the “Blue Ribbon Endorsement.” Parents as Teachers programs that earn this endorsement are designated as the top-performing home visiting programs within the Parents as Teachers international network.
“Kansas families are so lucky to benefit from Kansas parent educators' commitment to providing exceptional services to prepare our youngest Kansans for success in school and in life,” said Amanda Petersen, director of the KSDE early childhood team. “We are proud that this designation recognizes the hard work, dedication and skill that Kansas Parents as Teachers programs bring to our state.”
The following districts’ PAT programs earned the Blue Ribbon endorsement in Oct. 2024:
- Abilene USD 435
- Auburn-Washburn USD 437
- Baldwin USD 348
- Beloit USD 273
- Blue Valley USD 229
- DeSoto USD 232
- Haysville USD 261
- Hutchinson USD 308 Consortium
- Buhler USD 313
- Haven USD 312
- Hutchinson USD 308
- Nickerson USD 309
- Keystone Learning Services 608
- Atchison City USD 409
- Atchison County USD 377
- Doniphan West USD 111
- Eudora USD 491
- Hiawatha USD 415
- Holton USD 336
- Jefferson County North USD 339
- McLouth USD 342
- Oskaloosa USD 341
- Perry-Lecompton USD 343
- Prairie Hills USD 113
- Riverside USD 114
- Seaman USD 345
- Shawnee Heights USD 450
- Tonganoxie USD 464
- Troy USD 429
- Valley Falls USD 338
- Lansing USD 469
- Learning Cooperative of North Central Kansas (LCNCK)
- Clifton-Clyde USD 224
- Concordia USD 333
- Pike Valley USD 426
- Republic County USD 109
- Washington USD 108
- Leavenworth/Fort Leavenworth USD 453
- Maize USD 266
- North Ottawa USD 239
- Northwest Kansas Education Service Center 602
- Paola USD 368 Consortium
- Central Heights USD 288
- Garnett USD 365
- Louisburg USD 416
- Osawatomie USD 367
- Paola USD 368
- Pleasanton USD 344
- Prairie View USD 362
- Rose Hill USD 394
- Rock Creek USD 323
- Shawnee Mission USD 512
- Southeast Kansas Education Service Center 609
- Baxter Springs USD 508
- Burlingame USD 454
- Burlington USD 244
- Caney Valley USD 436
- Chase County USD 284
- Chanute USD 413
- Cherokee USD 247
- Cherryvale USD 447
- Columbus USD 493
- Crest USD 479
- Emporia USD 253
- Erie-Galesburg USD 101
- Fort Scott USD 234
- Fredonia USD 484
- Frontenac USD 249
- Galena USD 499
- Girard USD 248
- Independence USD 446
- Iola USD 257
- Humbolt USD 259
- Labette County USD 506
- Lebo-Waverly USD 243
- Leroy-Gridley USD 245
- Madison-Virgil USD 386
- Marais Des Cygnes Valley USD 456
- Marmaton Valley USD 256
- Morris County USD 417
- Neodesha USD 461
- North Lyon County USD 251
- Northeast USD 246
- Osage City USD 420
- Oswego USD 504
- Ottawa USD 290
- Parsons USD 503
- Piper USD 203
- Pittsburg USD 250
- Riverton USD 404
- Santa Fe Trail USD 434
- Southern Lyon County USD 252
- Spring Hill USD 230
- Union Town USD 235
- Wellsville USD 289
- Woodson USD 366
- Stafford USD 349
- Valley Center USD 262
- Wamego USD 320
- Wichita USD 259
- Winfield USD 465
Every five years, each Parents as Teachers program participates in the Quality Endorsement and Improvement Project (QEIP) with the PATNC. This continuous quality improvement assessment is a rigorous 15-month process that requires meeting 21 essential requirements (minimum standards) and 81 quality standards (highest standards).
“We are so incredibly proud of our local Parents as Teachers affiliates for embracing the Quality Endorsement and Improvement Project,” said Dr. Ben Proctor, deputy commissioner of KSDE’s Division of Learning Services. “PAT evidence-based home visiting is such an important part of the early childhood education strategy, and we greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication of our PAT educators, as they serve and support families and children in our Kansas communities.”
Implementation with quality and fidelity is vital in evidence-based home visiting programs as it determines a program’s effectiveness in accomplishing its original goals and intended outcomes. It also confirms that a program is being implemented as designed and supported by years of research.
Parents as Teachers is an important part of the early childhood education strategy to build strong communities, thriving families, and children that are healthy, safe, and ready to learn. The PAT evidence-based home visiting program is backed by more than 40 years of research-based outcomes for children and families.
There are 62 Parents as Teachers programs in Kansas that work diligently and intentionally every day to provide home visiting services with fidelity. A complete directory of those programs in the state is located here: 2023-2024 Parents as Teachers Kansas Directory.
Contact Lisa Williams, KSDE Parents as Teachers Program coordinator, lwilliams@ksde.org, or (785) 296-4964, if you have questions about how Parents as Teachers services can be offered in your community.