Parents as Teachers…A program that works!
Parents as Teachers (PAT) is a free and voluntary parent education and family support program for families in Garland I.S.D. with children aged between birth and five.
Parents are supported by PAT-certified parent educators trained in the latest brain development research and early childhood studies. They provide parents with child development information, ideas for effective parent’s strategies, early developmental screenings and a variety of learning activities that they can do with their children.
Parents as Teachers since 1981 has been implemented in more than 26,000 sites in 50 states and internationally.
Who qualifies?
A family living in the GISD school district can qualify in several areas:
- Teen parents automatically qualify
- Foster parents automatically qualify
- Homeless families automatically qualify
- Families also qualify by income eligibility: if you are currently receiving food stamps, free or reduced school lunches, or TANF, you will qualify. (Please contact us for additional income qualifications)
PAT families receive
- Personal visits which are the heart of the PAT program. A PAT-certified parent educator visits with you and your baby either in your home or our office. They teach and guide you to understand what to expect as your child grows and offer practical suggestions on encouraging learning and managing challenging behavior.
- Group Activities are provided weekly at our center located in the Student Services Center, 720 Stadium Drive. We offer free library times, music classes, art classes as well as drop in play time. Reservations can be made by calling 972-487-4056.
- Parenting Classes/Group Meetings on a variety of topics such as discipline, nutrition, stress, sleep problems, building self esteem and other key concerns parents experience with young children. These classes allow you to meet with other parents and our parent educators to gain new insights and share experiences. Meetings are offered during the day and also evening. Child care is provided for these meetings.
- Love and Logic 6 week workshops are offered in English and Spanish and are scheduled throughout the year.
- Screenings administered periodically by a parent educator that assess your child’s overall development, as well as health, hearing and vision.
- Connections with community resources and other GISD programs. We help young families learn about all the important resources that GISD provide and help them get ready to continue to be involved with their child’s education when they begin school.
- Special monthly activities and programs for teen parents in GISD.
Independent evaluations show PAT works!
PAT 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.
PAT parents
- Are more involved in their children’s schooling.
- Are more confident in their parenting role and read more to their children.
PAT Outstanding Staff provides Parent Support and Resources
We have both English and Bilingual Parent Educators that have exceptional experience and knowledge in early education. If they don’t know the answer, they have a vast amount of resources and they can help in so many ways.
Listed below are our program’s phone number and email addresses of all our staff. If you have any questions concerning our program, parent support information, or to determine if you are eligible to participate, please don’t hesitate to call or email any of us for further information.
Phone number: 972-487-4056
Lead Parent Educator
Administrative Assistant
Parent Educators:
Bilingual Parent Educators:
Bilingual Office Aides:
Additional Resources for Parents
Here are two web sites that can provide you with additional parent support information