Parents as Teachers seeking more participants
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By Christa Jennings
Senior Staff Writer
Parents as Teachers, which serves families from before birth until a child attends kindergarten, is currently seeking more participants in Coosa County to help expand the program.
Angela Poole, a parent educator in Coosa County for the program, said that they need children from 0-5 years old, as well as pregnant women, to participate in the program.
She explained that they are currently trying to get 20 more children in the program, adding that this would enable them to get another parent educator for Coosa County.
Parents as Teachers is a free home visitation program that provides support to pregnant women, mothers, fathers, and other caregivers of young children in their own home.
All services provided by Parents as Teachers are free, and bi-monthly home visits are provided to participating families. The program; which serves Coosa, Clay and Talladega counties; provides access to resources within the community to assist families that need support.
Developmental, vision and hearing screenings are also provided through Parents as Teachers.
Additionally, group meeting events are planned regularly so that families have the opportunity to interact with others to share experiences and form support.
The mission of Parents as Teachers is to “promote the optimal early development, learning and health of children by supporting and engaging their parents and caregivers.”
Parents as Teachers is provided through the First Teacher Program administered by the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education. The program, made locally available through SAFE Family Services Center of Sylacauga, matches parents and caregivers with trained professionals who then make regular personal home visits during a child’s earliest years in life, from prenatal to kindergarten.
SAFE’s Parents as Teachers program began in April of 2014, celebrating 10 years this past month. The SAFE Parents as Teachers program serves 63 families throughout Coosa, Clay and Talladega counties.
Poole, local parent educator, hopes to get more local participation in the program so that they can get more parent educators to help families.
For more information on the program or to sign up, contact Coosa County parent educators Shelia Tuck at 256-269-8860 or Angela Poole at 256-276-2818.
