P.A.T. is a free home visitation program for families with children aged birth through five years of age.

The goals of P.A.T. are:

• Give the child a solid foundation for school success
• Increase parents' competence and confidence in giving the child the best possible start in life
• Increase parents' knowledge of child development and appropriate ways to stimulate learning
• Promote a strong parent-child relationship
• Develop a true partnership between parents and school
• Provide a means for early detection of potential learning problems.
• Prevent and reduce child abuse and neglect.

P.A.T. achieves this by:

• Understanding that children are born to learn
• Knowing that children learn the most from people they love, their parents
• Believing that parents are the experts concerning their own children
• Believing all parents deserve support in their parenting role
• Valuing diversity and cultural difference
• Understanding that all families have strengths, and all parents want to be successful
• Developing a support program designed to increase a family's ability to cope rather than provide a system upon which the family becomes dependent.

Parent as Teacher program goals are met through:

• Personal visits
• Group meetings
• Screening
• Resource network

If you are interested in learning more about P.A.T., contact Mary Gross by e-mail, or calling 970-867-9606.