To become an approved Parents as Teachers model affiliate, all applicants must (1) contact the Parents as Teachers National Center or state Parents as Teachers office to review expectations for fidelity and quality and to assess their fit with the Parents as Teachers model; (2) submit an affiliate plan that covers program design and services, funding sources, service population, leadership, recruitment and retention, public awareness efforts, and evaluation; (3) receive approval of a final affiliate plan; (4) send parent educators to pre-service training to become certified; and (5) have parent educators undergo professional development to renew certification annually.
Implementing Parents as Teachers (PAT)®
Implementation last updated: 2019
The information in this profile reflects feedback, if provided, from this model’s developer as of the above date. The description of the implementation of the model(s) here may differ from how the model(s) was implemented in the research reviewed to determine this model’s evidence of effectiveness. Inclusion in the implementation report does not mean the practices described meet the HHS criteria for evidence of effectiveness. Similarly, models described here may not all have impact studies, and those with impact studies may vary in their effectiveness. Please see the Effectiveness button on the left for more information about research on the effectiveness of the models discussed here.
Training to support implementation
Pre-service staff training
The Parents as Teachers National Center requires all parent educators and supervisors implementing the Parents as Teachers model to attend and successfully complete a three-day foundational training (Foundational I) and a two-day model implementation training. Parent educators are certified after completing the trainings. Parent educators must renew their certification annually by completing 20 hours of professional development, reviewing the Parents as Teachers core competencies with their supervisor, and having at least one home visit observed by their supervisor.
Affiliates that offer services to families with children age 3 years through kindergarten entry must attend a second (Foundational II) training.
Additional training might be needed to administer assessments or outcomes measures required by a funder or sponsoring agency.
In-service staff training
To renew certification annually, the Parents as Teachers National Center requires that parent educators complete a minimum of 20 hours of professional development.
The Parents as Teachers National Center offers professional development opportunities for professionals who work with special populations. The trainings are one- or two-day sessions taught by instructors experienced with working with the special populations.
Training materials
Training materials, including the foundational training guides, Foundational Curricula, Parents as Teachers Toolkit Cards, and Model Implementation Library, are available to parent educators and supervisors through the Parents as Teachers National Center.
Qualified trainers
All training sessions are taught by experienced, certified Parents as Teachers national trainers with backgrounds in education, human development, or social services; most trainers have delivered Parents as Teachers services or are actively involved in doing so.
Technical assistance
Technical assistance and implementation support are available to Parents as Teachers affiliates through the Parents as Teachers National Center’s Expansion and Model Implementation department, which includes Parents as Teachers state offices and approved regional technical assistance specialists.
Implementation notes
The information contained on this page was last updated in October 2019. Recommended Further Reading lists the sources for this information. In addition, the information contained in this profile was reviewed for accuracy by the Parents as Teachers National Center on May 6, 2019. HomVEE reserves the right to edit the profile for clarity and consistency.