Parents as Teachers

Parents as Teachers is a program and a philosophy. The vision of Parents as Teachers is that all children will learn, grow, and develop to realize their full potential.

The Parents as Teachers National Center provides parents with child development knowledge and parenting support. The Center has created special training to help parent educators provide support to families from pregnancy until a child enters kindergarten. Generally, these parent educators work with community-based programs and provide services to families through their agencies.

Research shows that Parents as Teachers helps families with young children get their children ready for school. Families may be able to get this assistance if they meet the guidelines of a local program that offers Parents as Teachers (see list of programs). Often, guidelines are based on income levels.

WV Parent Connections helps to make Parents as Teachers available to West Virginia families. We work to create a network for the local programs that deliver the services.

How to Learn More

• Contact Beverly Davis, who coordinates our Parents as Teachers work. She can answer your questions or help you find a Parents as Teachers provider.
• Visit the Parents as Teachers National Center Web site. It offers tips for parents and information about how children develop and learn, so parents know what to expect.
• Look at the list of local programs that offer Parents as Teachers support in West Virginia. WV Parent Connections supports these programs to keep them active and able to help families with young children.

Services to Eligible Families

• Personal visits by home educators. During these visits, parents learn age-appropriate child development and parenting information.
• Group meetings. These meeting help parents share information, support each other, observe their children with other children, and get answers to parenting questions.
• Screenings. These look at development and aspects of health, such as hearing and vision.
• Networking. If parents want to find other community services, Parents as Teachers will help them find out who to contact.

Parents as Teachers Training

WV Parent Connections helps to increase the number of Parents as Teachers educators by offering annual training. In the first annual session, held in July 2007, 20 people completed the first stage of training. They will continue through three more stages over the next three years.

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This Web site is supported in whole or in part by funds from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement, under grant #U310A060257. Its content does not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Education, any other agency of the U.S. government, or any other source.