Parents as Teachers builds the capacity of parents to understand and support optimal healthy child development, develop effective parenting practices that strengthen the family foundation, and promotes school readiness. Research shows this model:
Improves children’s academic achievement, mental health, and language skills, while lowering developmental dysfunction in the form of problem behavior.
- Parents as Teacher positively impacts child outcomes in school by improving academic achievement in math, reading, and ELL English proficiency. [Lahti, M., Evans, C. B., Goodman, G., Schmidt, M. C., & LeCroy, C. W. (2019). Parents as Teachers (PAT) Home-Visiting Intervention: A Path to Improved Academic Outcomes, School Behavior, and Parenting Skills. Children and Youth Services Review, 99, 451-460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.01.022]
- Parents as Teachers enhances children’s expressive language skills and ability to engage in age-appropriate adaptive behavior, leading to improvements in general developmental status and reductions in developmental dysfunction. [Schaub, S., Ramseier, E., Neuhauser, A., Burkhardt, S. C., & Lanfranchi, A. (2019). Effects of Home-Based Early Intervention on Child Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Parents as Teachers in Switzerland. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 48, 173-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.03.007]
- Parents as Teachers improves child mental health by decreasing psychological stressors associated with behavioral problems and enhancing their developmental opportunities. [Gardini, E., Schaub, S., Neuhauser, A., Ramseier, E., Villiger, A., Ehlert, U., . . . Turecki, G. (2020). Methylation of the Glucocorticoid Receptor Promoter in Children: Links with Parents as Teachers, Early Life Stress, and Behavior Problems. Development and Psychopathology, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579420001984]
- Parents as Teachers enhances language development through moderating maternal sensitivity, which refers to mother’s abilities to accurately infer the needs of their child based on behavioral cues. [Neuhauser, A., Ramseier, E., Schaub, S., Burkhardt, S. C., & Lanfranchi, A. (2018). Mediating Role of Maternal Sensitivity: Enhancing Language Development in At‐Risk Families. Infant Mental Health Journal, 39(5), 522-536. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/imhj.21738]
Improves overall family functioning by improving parenting skills, knowledge about child development, and maternal ability to understand and respond appropriately to their children’s behavioral signals.
- Parents as Teachers improves overall family functioning in terms of social support and attachment and increases parenting skills, confidence, and knowledge about child development. [Lahti, M., Evans, C. B., Goodman, G., Schmidt, M. C., & LeCroy, C. W. (2019). Parents as Teachers (PAT) Home-Visiting Intervention: A Path to Improved Academic Outcomes, School Behavior, and Parenting Skills. Children and Youth Services Review, 99, 451-460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.01.022]
- Parents as Teachers increases maternal ability to understand and respond appropriately to young children’s behavioral signals, also known as maternal sensitivity, by improving parent-child interactions. [Neuhauser, A., Ramseier, E., Schaub, S., Burkhardt, S. C., & Lanfranchi, A. (2018). Mediating Role of Maternal Sensitivity: Enhancing Language Development in At‐Risk Families. Infant Mental Health Journal, 39(5), 522-536. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/imhj.21738]
Lowers the rate of substantiated abuse and neglect reports among at risk families as well as prevents child maltreatment by moderating caregiver depression.
- Parents as Teachers lowers the rate of abuse and neglect reports among families who are socially high-risk risk for child maltreatment. [Chaiyachati, B. H., Gaither, J. R., Hughes, M., Foley-Schain, K., & Leventhal, J. M. (2018). Preventing Child Maltreatment: Examination of an Established Statewide Home-Visiting Program. Child Abuse & Neglect, 79, 476-484. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.chiabu.2018.02.019]
- Parents as Teachers prevents child maltreatment recidivism through moderating caregiver depression. [Jonson-Reid, M., Drake, B., Constantino, J. N., Tandon, M., Pons, L., Kohl, P., Roesch, S., Wideman, E., Dunnigan, A., & Auslander, W. (2018). A Randomized Trial of Home Visitation for CPS-Involved Families: The Moderating Impact of Maternal Depression and CPS History. Child Maltreatment, 23(3), 281–293. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559517751671]
Parents As Teachers serves families in 46 counties.