The Parents as Teachers (PAT) Program helps families give their children a strong start during the most important early years of development. Serving families in Amarillo, Potter County, and Randall County, PAT provides parents and caregivers with education, encouragement, developmental information, and resources that support healthy growth and school readiness.
Parents play an important role in how children learn, grow, and see the world around them. Through personal home visits, child screenings, group connections, and connections to community resources, PAT helps parents build on the things they are already doing well while learning new ways to support their child's development.
The Highland Park Parents as Teachers Program is a free, evidence-based home visiting program available to qualifying families in the Amarillo area. There are no income restrictions for participating families.
All children will develop, learn, and grow to realize their full potential.
PAT believes every young child deserves an opportunity to build a strong foundation for the future. A child's earliest experiences can shape how they communicate, solve problems, build relationships, and approach learning. By supporting parents during these important years, PAT helps create positive learning experiences that can continue as children enter school and grow.
Parents as Teachers promotes the optimal early development, learning, and health of children by supporting and engaging their parents and caregivers.
The program recognizes that learning begins long before a child enters a classroom. Everyday activities such as talking, reading, playing, singing, and exploring can become opportunities for children to develop new skills.
PAT works directly with parents and caregivers so they can better understand their child's development and feel confident supporting learning at home.
One of the most important ideas behind the Parents as Teachers Program is simple: parents are their children's first and most influential teachers.
Children begin learning from the people around them from their earliest days. Parents and caregivers help children learn language, develop social skills, explore their surroundings, and understand how to interact with others.
PAT gives families additional tools and information they can use during these everyday moments. The goal is not to replace the parent's role. Instead, the program helps strengthen it.
Parents as Teachers believes parents are their children's first and most influential teachers. The early years of a child's life are critical for optimal development and provide the foundation for success in school and life.
PAT also believes that established and emerging research should provide the foundation for parent education and family support, including curricula, training, materials, and services.
Most importantly, all young children and their families deserve opportunities to succeed regardless of demographic, geographic, or economic considerations.
These values guide how PAT works with families throughout the Amarillo area. Families receive support in an environment focused on education, respect, encouragement, and helping children reach their potential.
Families participating in the PAT home visiting program in Amarillo, Texas have access to several services designed to support both children and their parents.
Personal in-home visits provide families with individualized support and information about their child's development. These visits give parents opportunities to ask questions, learn new activities, and discuss their child's progress.
Child screenings help families learn more about how their child is growing and developing. This can give parents useful information about developmental milestones and areas that may need additional attention.
Group connections give families opportunities to connect, learn, and participate in activities with others.
PAT can also provide resource connections, helping families find additional community programs and services when they need them.
Together, these services create a more complete approach to early childhood development and parent education.
The Parents as Teachers Program serves families who meet the program's basic qualifications.
Families must be residents of Potter County or Randall County and have a child between the prenatal stage and five years of age. There are no income restrictions for the program.
This makes PAT an important resource for many families looking for a free home visiting program in Amarillo, Texas.
The years before kindergarten provide an important foundation for a child's future. Parents do not have to navigate those years alone.
Through Parents as Teachers, Amarillo-area families can receive information, support, screenings, activities, and connections to resources while building upon the relationship they already have with their children.
The goal is to help children develop, learn, and grow to realize their full potential while giving parents the knowledge and confidence to remain active participants in their child's learning.
For families in Amarillo, Potter County, or Randall County searching for early childhood development support, parent education, school readiness resources, or an evidence-based home visiting program, Parents as Teachers provides support that begins where a child's earliest learning often takes place: at home.
Connect with the Parents as Teachers team serving the Amarillo, Texas area.
