This document was printed from the website of the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), which you can access at http://www.cachildwelfareclearinghouse.org/
This document was printed from the website of the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC), which you can access at http://www.cachildwelfareclearinghouse.org/
Child Welfare Outcomes: Safety and child/family well-being.
Type of Maltreatment: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Physical neglect
Target Population: All families who are pregnant or parents of children up to kindergarten entry (usually 5 years), across the socio-economic spectrum.
Brief Description:
Parents as Teachers was rated by the CEBC in the area of Home Visiting for School Readiness. Parents as Teachers is an early childhood parent education, family support, and school readiness model based on the premise that “all children will learn, grow, and develop to realize their full potential.” The model provides personal visits carried out by professional staff trained and certified in use of the Born to Learn curriculum, which draws heavily on the science of child development, including brain development. Other required model components are group meetings to foster social networks and regular health and developmental screenings, with referral to a community resource network if needed.
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Personal Visits: A minimum of monthly personal visits, typically in the home, using Born to Learn curriculum plans that are appropriate for child’s development and age. Parent educators:
Screenings: A minimum of one screening per program year conducted by the parent educator or other qualified individual where they:
Group Meetings: A minimum of monthly site-based group meetings led by parent educators. In the groups, parents:
Resource Network: Parent educators help connect the family with community resources, such as:
Parents as Teachers (PAT) was designed to be conducted in a group.
Parents as Teachers (PAT) has been tested for use in a group setting.
Testing references:
Constantino, J.N. et al. (2001). Supplementation of urban home visitation with a series of group meetings for parents and infants: Results of a “real-world” randomized, controlled trial. Child Abuse and Neglect, 25, 1571-1581.
The recommended group size is: We have no set recommendations of the group size. Group meeting is one of our 4 main model components. However, the program was designed so that the personal visits are held in conjunction with group meetings.
Recommended intensity: Monthly visits to each family, and more than once a month to each family with high needs. The home visits should last at least 50 minutes with time varying based on number of children in the family and family needs. Group meetings should also be provided monthly. Length of meeting varies by topic.
Recommended duration: The program is designed so that it can be implemented with each family from the child's birth or prenatally until age 3. If parent educators are trained in delivering the Born to Learn Curriculum: 3 Years to Kindergarten Entry, then services ideally would continue until Kindergarten entry. Children may be enrolled at any time within those age windows, however. This allows siblings to be served by the program, and does not limit participation to children enrolled in infancy or prenatally.
Parents as Teachers (PAT) includes a homework component.
Description: There are visit-specific parent-child follow-up activities in the curriculum for the parent educators to choose from. Parent educators introduce a follow-up activity at the end of their visits, and encourage parents to engage in it before the next personal visit.
Parents as Teachers (PAT) is typically conducted in a(n): Adoptive Home, Birth Family Home, Child Care Center, Community Agency, Foster Home, Outpatient Clinic, and School.
Parents as Teachers (PAT) was designed with a Parent Component.
Parents as Teachers (PAT) addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms: Pregnant or parent of a child five years old or younger in possible high risk environments (e.g., teen parents, low income, parental low educational attainment, single-parent household, etc)
Parents as Teachers (PAT) was designed with a Child Component.
Parents as Teachers (PAT) addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms: None specifically, the parent educator may find some in the screenings and will do activities with the child based on the screening results (e.g., developmental delays, health issues, etc.)
Age range(s): 0-5
Parents as Teachers (PAT) was not developed for children with developmental delays.
Parents as Teachers (PAT) has not been tested for children with developmental delays.
Parents as Teachers (PAT) was not designed for specific racial/ethnic/cultural groups.
Parents as Teachers (PAT) was not tested in specific racial/ethnic/cultural groups.
There is a manual that describes how to implement this program.
There is training available for Parents as Teachers (PAT).
Training contact: Sue Sheehan, Parents as Teachers National Center, Senior Director of Core Training and Program Support, 866-728-4968, x242
Number of days/hours: 5-day face-to-face training + follow-up, which can be taken on-line for Prenatal to 3 years of age certification. Additional 2-day training to obtain 3 years of age to Kindergarten entry certification. More information can be obtained at www.parentsasteachers.org through the following path of links: About Us – What is Parents as Teachers – About Born to Learn Programs.
Training is obtained: Call or register online at www.parentsasteachers.org through the following path of links: About Us – What is Parents as Teachers – About Born to Learn Programs. Born to Learn Institute trainings are offered throughout the United States and on-site by special arrangement for groups of 12 or more.
There currently are not additional qualified resources for training.
The typical resources for implementing Parents as Teachers (PAT) are: At a minimum, one personnel serving the dual role as a parent educator and a supervisor is needed to start a program. Training and one set of curriculum are required per parent educator. Parent educators and supervisors also require access to
· Office space with a telephone, fax, computer with Internet access and copier
· Secure/locked storage for files, books, toys and other materials needed for personal visits and group meetings
· A meeting space for both staff and families as well as a play area.
Information on how to start and implement a program available atInformation on how to start and implement a program available at www.parentsasteachers.org through the following path of links: About Us – What is Parents as Teachers – About Born to Learn Programs.
Successful completion of the Born to Learn Institute. Supervisors attend at least the first 2 days of the Institute, and ideally, all 5 days. Follow-up Institute is available face-to-face or on-line.
Zigler, E., Pfannenstiel, J., & Seitz, V. (2008). The Parents as Teachers program and school success: A replication and extension. Journal of Primary Prevention, 29, 103-120.
Type of Study: Non-randomized comparison group
Number of participants: 5,721 kindergarten children
Population:
Location/Institution: Missouri
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations) Students whose families had undergone the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program were compared to those who had not. Children were assessed on the Student Observation Record, which measures symbolic development, communication, working with others, mathematical/physical knowledge, learning to learn, physical development, and conventional knowledge. Parents filled out a Parent/Guardian Survey, which had questions about health issues, preschool attendance and home literacy activities. Children also received the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) Communication Arts Assessment, a state-mandated test. Parents in the PAT program read to their children more often and were more likely to enroll them in preschool, which are predictors of school readiness. Statistical analysis also showed direct effects of PAT participation on school readiness, through better parenting practices. Length of PAT participation also predicted third grade achievement. Children of low-income families who received PAT and also attended a pre-school program showed achievement levels approaching those of non-impoverished families who did not attend preschool.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: 4 to 5 years
Albritton, S., Klotz, J., & Roberson, T. (2004). The effects of participating in a Parents as Teachers Program on parental involvement in the learning process at school and in the home. E-Journal of Teaching & Learning in Diverse Settings, 1(2), 189-208.
Type of Study: Non-randomized comparison group
Number of participants: 80 families
Population:
Location/Institution: Mississippi
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations) Parents of children in the PAT group and comparison group were given the Parent or Caregiver survey, constructed for this study. The survey had four sections comprised of questions about parental school involvement, level of engagement with learning activities at home, preschool experiences and involvement with programs such as Early Head Start, and a section with demographic questions. Analysis indicated that PAT parents were more involved in school activities and engaged in 6 out of 12 home learning activities more often than the comparison group. These items measures literacy-related activities.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: 1 to 3 years
Pfannenstiel, J.C., Seitz, V., & Zigler, E. (2002). Promoting school readiness: The role of the Parents as Teachers program. NHSA Dialog, 6(1), 71-86.
Type of Study: Non-randomized comparison group
Number of participants: 2,375 children
Population:
Location/Institution: Missouri
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations) A panel of educators and specialists developed the School Entry Profile to measure which measures symbolic development, communication, working with others, mathematical/physical knowledge, learning to learn, physical development, and conventional knowledge, as rated by teachers. Parents were given the Parent/Guardian Survey, which measures health issues, preschool attendance, and home literacy activities. Families who had received the PAT program were compared on these measures to a group who had not. Results showed that parents in the PAT program reported reading to their children more often and were more likely to enroll them in a preschool program. Statistical analysis also indicated direct effects of the program on school readiness, suggesting that parenting practices had changed. Finally, impoverished children whose families received PAT and who attended preschool had readiness scores equivalent to those of children from non-impoverished homes.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: 2 to 3 years.
Wagner, M., Spiker, D., & Linn, M.I. (2002). The effectiveness of the Parents as Teachers program with low-income parents and children. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 22(2), 67-81.
Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial
Number of participants: 665
Population:
Location/Institution: Programs serving a large proportion of low-income families. Large urban PAT programs
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations) Sites for the study were chosen by the researchers and PAT National Center staff. Programs were required to be at least 2 years old, serve at least 100 new families annually, serve a high proportion of low-income families and offer home visits at least monthly. Families were recruited through community services and agreed to be randomly assigned to receive the PAT program or to a comparison group. Parents were assessed at children’s first and second birthdays. Children were assessed at their second birthday only. Parents were assessed on their knowledge and attitudes using interview items drawn from the Knowledge of Infant Development Inventory, the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, and the Child Maltreatment Precursor Scale. Home environment and parenting behaviors during observation were measured with the Home Observation and Measurement of Environment (HOME) Inventory. Study specific questions were also used in parental interviews to assess language, literacy and numeracy promoting behaviors, such as reading to children and counting. Mother-child interactions were observed during the Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training. Parent-rated child social, physical and cognitive development were measured using the Developmental Profile II. Finally, children’s pro-social behavior was measured with the Adaptive Social Behavior Inventory. Lower scores on parent knowledge, attitude toward parenting and parenting behaviors were noted for lower-income families. Few measures were affected by participation in the PAT program. These included higher self-reported happiness when caring for the child, greater acceptance of child behavior (2nd year) among moderate-income parents, and a greater tendency to read aloud or tell stories to the child among low-income parents. There was also a moderate effect on pro-social behavior among low-income children. The authors note that the generally low level of effects for the PAT program may be partly due to the fact that a high drop out rate for the sample required them to terminate assessment at 2 years, rather than the 3 years for which the program is designed.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: None
Pfannenstiel, J.C., & Seltzer, D.A. (1989). New Parents as Teachers: Evaluation of an early parent education program.
Type of Study: Non-randomized comparison group
Number of participants: 75 intervention, 69 comparison
Population:
Location/Institution: Missouri
Summary: (To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations) The study compared scores on measures of cognitive and social ability for children whose parents had participated in the New Parents as Teachers (NPAT) demonstration program with a comparison group from the same community. Cognitive and language development was assessed with the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC) and the Preschool Language Scale (PLS). Social development was assessed with the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI). The researchers also measured parent knowledge concerning importance of physical stimuli, intellectual development, lack of discipline knowledge, knowledge of child development for children 3 and younger and knowledge of hearing and motor development. Children in the NPAT group scored higher on all measures of development, except for the sequential processing scale of the KABC. Parents in the NPAT group also scored as more knowledgeable, except on measures of knowledge of intellectual development and hearing/motor development. Limitation included self-selection by NPAT parents and significantly older and more educated mothers on average in the NPAT group.
Length of post-intervention follow-up: None
Wagner, M.M., & Clayton, S. (1999). The Parents as Teachers Program: Results from two demonstrations. The Future of Children, 9(1), 91-115.
Winter, M., and McDonald, D. (1997). Parents as Teachers: Investing in good beginnings for children. In Primary prevention works. G. Albee and T. Gullotta, eds. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, pp. 119–45.
Winter, M. and Rouse, J. (1990). Fostering Intergenerational Literacy: The Missouri Parents as Teachers Program. Reading Teacher, 43(6) 382-86.
Child Welfare League of America (2005). Parenting. Research to Practice. Washington D.C., Retrieved March 14, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://www.cwla.org/programs/r2p/rrnews0502.pdf
Shaklee, H., Hardin, J. & Demarest, D. (2007). Parents as Teachers Born to LearnTM Curricula Support Emergent Literacy. Boise, ID: University of Idaho Extension.Parents as Teachers National Center (2005). Born to Learn Curriculum Prenatal to 3 (Modules A, B, & C). St. Louis, MO: PATNC.
Parents as Teachers National Center (2002). Born to Learn Curriculum 3 Years to Kindergarten Entry. St. Louis, MO: PATNC (currently under revision).
Contact name: Susan S. Stepleton, Ph.D., LCSW; President & CEO
Affiliation/Agency: Parents as Teachers National Center
Email: info@parentsasteachers.org
Phone: 314-432-4330 or toll-free: 1-866-PAT-4YOU (1-866-728-4968)
Fax: 314-432-8963
Website: http://www.parentsasteachers.org