Parents as Teachers is an award-winning example of what's right with education today. It has captured the attention of educators around the world, business leaders, policy makers and most important of all - parents. Why? Because it works!

PAT is a home-school partnership designed to give children the best possible start in life. It is based on the philosophy that parents are their children's first and most important teachers.

In their beginning years, children learn more and at a much faster pace than at any other time in their lives. Through PAT, parents acquire the skills to help make the most of these crucial early-learning years. The program covers child development from birth to age 5, and suggests parent activities which encourage language and intellectual growth, curiosity and social skills. Parents as Teachers is designed to empower parents to give their children a solid foundation for school and life success.

Four components comprise the Parents as Teachers program:

• Personal visits
• Group meetings
• Developmental screenings, and
• A referral network.

Parents as Teachers hold great promise for helping to close off the pipeline of students who are most likely to fail in school and society, because it fosters optimal development of young children, identifies handicaps and delays as early as possible, and increases parenting skills. By promoting parent involvement in learning, PAT puts children and their parents on the right track for later achievement in school.