JACKSON PARENTS AS TEACHERS PROGRAM THRIVING

JACKSON -- The Jackson School District's Parents As Teachers program is doing very well and has had no reduction in services or funding, says Carolyn Beasley, the program's director and teacher.

She said some concerns were apparently voiced recently that the Jackson School District PAT program had been cut back. She speculated this may have been prompted by cuts made earlier this year in the Cape Girardeau School District Parents As Teachers program because of budget concerns.

"There has been no reduction in our services or funding for the PAT program in the Jackson School District," Beasley emphasized.

According to the school district budget, the Jackson PAT program received $42,250 for the 1992-93 school year, the same amount as last year. The funding covers the salary for a director/fulltime teacher, and one part-time PAT instructor, plus expenses for materials and operations.

Assistant Superintendent Fred Jones explains PAT should be fully funded by the state department of education. But with continued cutbacks in state funding for education the past several years, PAT, and other state-mandated educational programs, have not been funded 100 percent. That means local school districts must make up the difference or cut back on the program services.

"Depending on how much we actually receive each year from the state, about 21 percent of the total PAT budget comes from local district funds. Last year, that amounted to about $8,500," Jones said.

Beasley says the PAT program is strongly supported by the school board and administration.

"We're very pleased and very lucky in the Jackson School District that our program funding has remained the same as it was last year. The administration really supports the PAT program and works with us," she added.

Right now, there are 149 families participating in the PAT program. "We have five vacancies in the program at this time but they are for daytime home visits only. Our evening home visit openings are completely booked up. We only have so many evenings that we can work with the families with our limited staff," she explained.

Parents as Teachers is a state-wide program offered on a voluntary basis to parents of pre-school-age children in the Jackson School District and other school districts around the state. PAT was pioneered in Missouri and implemented by the state department of education in 1984, following extensive studies into methods of early childhood education.

Today, PAT programs are in school districts and Head Start centers in 32 states plus Indian reservations, and in England, New Zealand and Australia. It is being considered in Ireland and Scotland.

Beasley said PAT is based on the concept that the best teacher of a pre-school-age child is a parent. "Because the largest percentage of learning occurs before a child is age three, Parents As Teachers offers parents development information on their pre-school-age children so they know what is normal development for the child," she explained. "PAT is not out to make super-babies, or anything like that. PAT works with parents to help them become the best teacher their child will ever have. Nothing has ever been found yet that can surpass a parent as a teacher."

Beasley said the greatest percentage of learning occurs by the time a child is age three. "And the people that child is with most from birth to age three is Mom and/or Dad. They are the most important teachers a baby will have the rest of its life," she added.

"Parents As Teachers helps parents become better parents and teachers. It gives babies and pre-school-age children a good foundation on which to base their formal education when they enter kindergarten."

According to the Missouri Department of Education, Missouri school districts served 59,800 families in the PAT program. Districts also provided supplemental PAT activities for nearly 52,000 families with three and four year olds. These figures represent about 30 percent of the eligible families in the state. Because of funding limitations, many school districts have waiting lists of families who want to join the PAT program.

Beasley said PAT program services include personalized home visits by a certified parent educator who offers information on child development and ways to encourage early childhood learning.

PAT educators also conduct group meetings with other parents to share parenting experiences, gain new insights, and talk about topics of interest.

PAT provides periodic screening of children age birth to three years for general development, language, hearing and vision. "The goal is to provide early detection of potential problems to prevent difficulties later," Beasley said. "If a pre-school-age child has hearing or vision problems, that child will not develop at the same rate as a normal child. Our screenings look for these problems and correct them before the child enters school."

The state education department has as one of its goals the expansion of the PAT program throughout the entire state to all families who wish to participate by the year 2000. By 1995, the department wants school districts to be able to serve 50 percent of all eligible families and preschoolers.

Beasley said parents who would like to know more about Parents As Teachers should contact her at 243-8806 during regular school hours.