The JC Schools Parents as Teachers program is a voluntary parent education program that serves families who are expecting a child or have children under the age of kindergarten entry and who live within the Jefferson City School District. As a member of Missouri's Parent Education Program (which was enacted by the Missouri 83rd General Assembly Senate Bill 658: Early Childhood Development Act in 1
984), we offer regularly scheduled family personal visits, annual child developmental screenings, group connection events and access to a network of resources. These components are integral in supporting and preparing children, families, schools and communities toward school readiness and provide opportunities to assist families with a smooth transition into preschool and kindergarten. Trained parent educators provide home visits with families to promote early learning, knowledge and understanding of important developmental milestones. Periodic screenings increase parents’ understanding of their children’s developmental progress, as well as inform them of any possible delays. Early intervention for identified concerns helps improve school readiness for young children. GOALS AND OUTCOMES
The general goals of these services are to:
*Provide appropriate guidance and useful information to parents as their child’s primary and most important teachers;
*Inform parents of their child’s typical developmental progression, as well as possible developmental delays;
*Help prevent child abuse and/or neglect; and
*Prepare every child for success in school and in life. Expected outcomes from these services include:
*Increased parental confidence and involvement in the development of their child;
*Early establishment of positive partnerships between home and school;
*Joint cooperation among schools and community programs providing services to young children, thereby reducing duplication of services and increased costs;
*Increased readiness for kindergarten;
*Strong home-school-community partnerships for children and families;
*Reduction of expensive remedial and special education services; and
*Increased academic achievement in elementary school. (Taken from the Early Childhood Development Act Administrative Manual, available at https://dese.mo.gov/childhood/home-visiting/parent-education )
We are a Parents as Teachers Missouri Curriculum Partner program, which utilizes the Parents as Teachers National Center's research-based Foundational Curriculum and Foundational 2 Curriculum. All of our parent educators receive extensive training through the Parents as Teachers National Center prior to beginning to provide services to families, and participate in a minimum of 20 hours of annual ongoing professional development that correlate with the Institutes for Advancement of Family Support Professionals Competency Framework. You can learn more about the Parents as Teachers training and curricula at www.parentsasteachers.org
