Federal Grant Enables Parents as Teachers to Expand in Tennessee
St. Louis, MO, August 25, 2011 --(PR.com)-- The Tennessee Department of Health received over $3 million in Fiscal Year 2010 federal grants allocated for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV). The grants were to be used to expand home visiting services, including Parents as Teachers in Hamilton County near Chattanooga area and Memphis-Shelby County.
The federal MIECHV program is designed to strengthen and increase program goals, coordinate services and improve outcomes for at-risk communities through early childhood home visiting programs. Parents as Teachers, the nation’s largest network of home visiting programs, has been improving outcomes for families nationwide for more than 25 years. The Parents as Teachers evidence-based home visiting model is one of just eight models approved for use under federal guidelines for MIECHV.
“The purpose of these dollars is to expand services to families that we might not reach,” said Dr. Cathy Taylor, Assistant Commissioner at the Tennessee Department of Health. “The models that have been selected have very specific criteria for families that are associated with enrollment and training requirements. The advantage for Parents as Teachers is that they have established training requirements and competency expectations for staff already in place.”
Last year in Tennessee, more than 800 children and their families received Parents as Teachers services. Of those, many faced a variety of family risk factors such as low income, low birth weight, and involvement with the corrections, mental health, and social services systems. Parents as Teachers parent educators are uniquely trained to address these issues which can quickly escalate and negatively impact child development if left unresolved. Parent educators also provide well-researched information to help all families make good parenting decisions. They screen children for developmental issues and connect families to each other and additional community resources.
"The opportunity to expand Parents as Teachers partnership services in Tennessee and use their proven model is very exciting," Taylor said. "We hope to be able to continue to support these efforts to improve child and family outcomes."
About Parents as Teachers
Headquartered in St. Louis, MO., Parents as Teachers champions the critical role of parental involvement and early intervention in a child’s development. Parents as Teachers supports a network of professionals and organizations who serve more than 300,000 families across the country and around the world through a proven parent education model. For more information, visit www.ParentsAsTeachers.org.
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The federal MIECHV program is designed to strengthen and increase program goals, coordinate services and improve outcomes for at-risk communities through early childhood home visiting programs. Parents as Teachers, the nation’s largest network of home visiting programs, has been improving outcomes for families nationwide for more than 25 years. The Parents as Teachers evidence-based home visiting model is one of just eight models approved for use under federal guidelines for MIECHV.
“The purpose of these dollars is to expand services to families that we might not reach,” said Dr. Cathy Taylor, Assistant Commissioner at the Tennessee Department of Health. “The models that have been selected have very specific criteria for families that are associated with enrollment and training requirements. The advantage for Parents as Teachers is that they have established training requirements and competency expectations for staff already in place.”
Last year in Tennessee, more than 800 children and their families received Parents as Teachers services. Of those, many faced a variety of family risk factors such as low income, low birth weight, and involvement with the corrections, mental health, and social services systems. Parents as Teachers parent educators are uniquely trained to address these issues which can quickly escalate and negatively impact child development if left unresolved. Parent educators also provide well-researched information to help all families make good parenting decisions. They screen children for developmental issues and connect families to each other and additional community resources.
"The opportunity to expand Parents as Teachers partnership services in Tennessee and use their proven model is very exciting," Taylor said. "We hope to be able to continue to support these efforts to improve child and family outcomes."
About Parents as Teachers
Headquartered in St. Louis, MO., Parents as Teachers champions the critical role of parental involvement and early intervention in a child’s development. Parents as Teachers supports a network of professionals and organizations who serve more than 300,000 families across the country and around the world through a proven parent education model. For more information, visit www.ParentsAsTeachers.org.
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Contact
National Center for Parents as Teachers
Pat Simpson
314-432-4330 x283
www.parentsasteachers.org
Pat Simpson
314-432-4330 x283
www.parentsasteachers.org
Contact
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