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Parents as Teachers visit capitol
Nevada Daily Mail
The Nevada R-5 Parents As Teachers staff, Jenise Burch, Lynnette Foster and Danette Day attended the Parents As Teachers Day at the Capitol in Jefferson City on Feb. 28.
The event was the Capitol Rotunda, which was decorated with hand made blocks from the various PAT programs attending, using the theme "Parents As Teachers: Building Blocks for the Future. The Nevada PAT staff took 30 wooden blocks designed by parent Tammy Smith and decorated by PAT families at the February play group. The wood was donated by Barton's of Nevada and the Nevada High School class of Pam Earnest sanded the blocks. Pictures of the PAT families and various art decorations were used to embellish these blocks.
The day at the capitol also included a PAT policy and advocacy update presentation with addresses to the group by Governor Matt Blunt, Senator Yvonne Wilson, and Sue Stepleton, president and CEO, Parents As Teachers National Center. The governor announced that he has proposed a $2 million addition to the Parents As Teachers program and wants this increase to go toward increased services to preschool age children.
The PAT staff also visited with State Rep. Barney Fisher and called upon Senator Chris Koster. Both were presented with wooden blocks made by the PAT families. Rep. Fisher is currently on the Parents As Teachers advisory council and has supported the local program by attending group activities regularly.
A recent study shows that participation in PAT has both direct and indirect effects on children's school success. Specifically advantages listed in the study are:
* Length of participation in PAT directly and positively impacts school readiness, home literacy activity, and preschool participation.
* Length of participation in PAT is a significant predictor of third grade achievement on the MAP Communication Arts test.
* Length of participation in PAT directly influences school readiness, which in turn predicts a significantly reduced likelihood of an IEP at third grade.
Anyone interested in participating in the Nevada Parents As Teachers program should call (417) 448-2061 for more information.