R-7 School District offers free early learning program through Parents As Teachers
Posted by GSDispatch Editor in by Lee’s Summit R7 School District, Community, Edu
PAT families invited to Family Fun Night Event at Paradise Park
Lee’s Summit R-7 School District families with children from birth through pre-kindergarten are eligible to enroll in Parents As Teachers, a free, voluntary early learning program for parents of young children. Parents are their children’s first and most influential teachers, and Parents As Teachers offers a number of services tailored just for young families.
The 2009 event at Paradise Park included fun events for children and adults.
All families currently enrolled in the Lee’s Summit R-7 Parents As Teachers program are invited to a free Family Fun Event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 6 at Paradise Park, 1021 NE Colbern Road. Paradise Park offers a variety of family activities, including a water room, interactive children’s cooking, self-contained play climbing and pretend village. The event will also feature an infant-toddler area, art studio and face painting.
This special Parents As Teachers activity is made possible by a Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation annual fund drive grant, in partnership with the Truman Heartland Community Foundation.
Services offered through Parents As Teachers include information about what to look for as your child develops, constructive play and other child-rearing tips; personal home visits by certified parent educators; group meetings with other parents to share parenting experiences and discuss topics of interest; planned parent-child activities which incorporate fun with hands-on learning; and resource materials such as child-development books and videos available through the office.
In addition, Parents As Teachers offers yearly screenings. These include cognitive, language, motor and speech development; vision, hearing and dental checks; and conferences with parents to help explain the screening results and to answer any questions or comments.
Independent evaluations have determined that children participating in Parents As Teachers are more advanced in language and social development, problem-solving and other intellectual skills by age 3. They also scored ahead of non-participants in first grade on reading and math tests.
For families, Parents As Teachers can help parents spot conditions that might interfere with a child’s development while helping them gain confidence in child-rearing.
For more information about enrolling in the Lee’s Summit R-7 Parents As Teachers program, call 986-2480. Families may also find more information or enroll online at http://pat.leesummit.k12.mo.us.
