EVICS
Estes Valley Investment in Childhood Success

Parents as Teachers (PAT) is a free parent education and support program available to families throughout pregnancy until their child enters kindergarten, usually age 5.  Parents receive information and learn activities they can use with their child during each stage of development to enhance their child’s language development, intellectual growth, social development and motor skills. Each family commits to being in the program for at least 2 years upon enrollment.

As a Parents as Teachers family, you receive:

•   Monthly Personal Visits - during which your parent educator will share age-appropriate child development and parenting information, help you learn to observe your child, and address your parenting concerns.

•   Yearly Screenings - to assess your child’s overall development as well as health, hearing and vision.

•    Monthly Group Meetings - group opportunities to share information about parenting issues and child development.  Parents learn and support each other, observe their children with other children and practice parenting skills.

•   Family Resource Networking - that link your family to other community services.

Independent evaluations show Parents as Teachers works!

Parents as Teachers children:

•   At age 3 are significantly more advanced in language, social development, problem solving and other cognitive abilities than comparison children.

•   Score higher on kindergarten readiness tests and on standardized measures of achievement in early grades.

Parents as Teachers parents:

•   Are more involved in their children’s schooling.

•   Are more confident in their parenting role and read more to their children.

The Parents as Teachers Program is designed to foster strong, loving relationships between parents and their children.  In the first few years, children learn more and at a faster pace than at any other time in life.  Babies are born to learn, and we support parents as the child’s first and most important teacher. 

Parents are supported by PAT-certified parent educators trained to translate scientific information on early brain development into specific when, what, how and why advice for families.  By understanding what to expect during each stage of development, parents can easily capture the teachable moments in everyday life to enhance their child’s language development, intellectual growth, social development and motor skills.

Parents as Teachers is an international program that has been in existence for 25 years, and available in the Estes Park community since 2011, offered as a parent outreach effort of Estes Valley Investment in Childhood Success (EVICS). To learn more about the Parents as Teachers organization and research results, please visit: www.parentsasteachers.org.

On Wednesdays in the winter, we sponsor an Open Gym for all parents and young children to get together and exercise in a protected environment. PAT enrollment is not required for Open Gym and Group Meeting activities. All families are welcome! 

To learn more about the Estes Park PAT Program please contact: Karin Steers at 970-586-1770 or Ksteers@evics.org.

Funding provided through a generous grant from the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation and private supporters.

600 South St. Vrain
P.O. Box 3373
Estes Park, CO 80517
970-586-3055
office@evics.org
Last modified: 02/19/12