Parents As Teachers Specialized Services For Military Families

Overview
Parents as Teachers is a voluntary parent education and family support program based on the vision that all children should be encouraged to learn, grow and develop to realize their full potential. The mission of PAT is to provide information, support and encouragement parents need to help their children develop optimally during the crucial early years of life. The Parents as Teachers model includes four components:

• Home visits by trained, professional parent educators
• Parent group meetings about early childhood development and parenting
• Periodic screenings for early identification of developmental delays or health, hearing and vision problems.
• Linkages and referrals to community networks and resources, with particular emphasis on services provided by the military.

Why PAT for Military?
Active duty, guard, reserve and veterans’ families participating in Parents as Teachers receive specialized services that enhance family adaptation and family readiness, ultimately impacting both force readiness and retention in the military.

Providing Parents as Teachers services to military families with young children results in:

• Increased school readiness for children, which further enhances the military’s existing strength in quality pre-K-12 education and child care
• Increased use of the support network and resources the military provides for families
• Increased families’ sense of support and concern from their commander/unit leaders
• Parents who can be better members of the Armed Forces because they are better parents
• Enhanced family readiness: Families feel more prepared for deployment since they are supported by Parents as Teachers staff, activities and other program participants.
• Improved unit cohesion and readiness as service members are confident their families are being supported

Curriculum
The Parents as Teachers research-based Born to Learn ® curriculum, is designed to enhance child development and school achievement through parent education for families with children from before birth to kindergarten entry age.

As part of a pilot project funded by the Department of Defense, Parents as Teachers, in collaboration with Zero to Three, Inc., has developed specialized parent education resources designed for professionals who work with military families with young children, in addition to reference materials for families. This resource guide is now available to all Parents as Teachers programs and other service providers working with military families. The 100+ page resource guide includes the following sections:

• Deployment
• Parenting Alone
• Relocation
• Responses to Trauma: Combat Reactions and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• When Parents are Single or Both Are Service Members:- Caring for a Child Whether Based at Home or Across the World
• Family Reunification

Training
Recognizing the unique culture of the military, Parents as Teachers has enhanced its current Born to Learn ® training for professionals who implement the program in military settings to include specific information regarding military family life. This training not only provides the parent educators with the foundation of Parents as Teachers research-based curriculum, but also a better understanding of the challenges that military families face.

Ongoing Technical Assistance
Parents as Teachers National Center can send experienced parent educators, who have worked with military families, to provide technical assistance with program implementation at any time. Fees for this additional assistance will be negotiated with Parents as Teachers National Center.