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Parents As Teachers
Strengthening Families
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There is no doubt that children need strong families and a stable home to be successful in a classroom setting and throughout life. With home-based programs like Parents As Teachers (PAT), families are provided with a wealth of educational tools for their child as well as resources to maintain a stable home.
Developing parental resilience is a major focus in the PAT program model, as resilient parents are able to cope with everyday stressors and bounce back from occasional crises and adversity. In turn, a happy and stable home will help children achieve long term success in school and later on in life.
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"When I began working with the Parents As Teachers program my two year old daughter and I were sleeping on my Grandma’s couch in her Senior Retirement Community. Shortly after, we were kicked out of her house and became homeless, sleeping in my car or couch to couch in some not very safe homes. With the help of my home visitor, my daughter and I were able to move into a group home for young mothers. It was here that I was able to find a job and obtain steady, quality childcare. Thanks to my home visitor, we have a roof over our heads and the help we needed to be successful.”
~ N. Brown
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Raising A Reader
Program Expansion
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Traditionally administered in a classroom setting, Raising A Reader engages parents and caregivers in a ‘book cuddling’ routine at home with their child. Following the first year of implementation in a center-based environment, Charleston County First Steps (CCFS) staff members noticed the natural ties between home-based Parents As Teachers and the Raising A Reader program model. Subsequently, a pilot group of 24 PAT families was assembled to implement the program over a 6 month period.
“Our families responded very well to getting the bright red book bags each week,” says Valerie Hacker, EHS Parent Educator, “we were able to incorporate the Raising A Reader books into our home-based curriculum and provide guidance with interactive reading strategies when mom or dad requested it.” A marriage between the two programs is set to continue into the new year as CCFS expands the reach of Raising A Reader by servicing all Parents As Teachers families!
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MOVING ON UP
Child Care Quality Enhancement
Each year, Charleston County First Steps strives to help child development centers find success within the industry's ABC Quality Rating System. This year, we turned our focus to improve administrative practices in addition to the classroom environments.
Through extensive technical assistance, assessments, and training, 2 of the 4 centers participating in the Child Care Quality Enhancement program were able to graduate from from a B level to a B+ level within a year. Through hard work and willingness to make some changes to policies and procedures, both centers saw great improvement in their day-to-day operations!
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Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership
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As part of the federal Early Learning Initiative, the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) grant allows Early Head Start programs to partner with local child care centers serving infants and toddlers from low-income families. To promote parent employment and self-sufficiency, EHS-CCP provides full-day (10 hours), year round (50 weeks) child care so that low-income children have the healthy and enriching early experiences they need to realize their full potential.
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PARTICIPATING CENTERS:
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- All children receive developmental, health, vision, and oral screenings after enrollment in the program.
- Qualified teachers receive ongoing supervision and coaching to support implementation of a research-based curriculum and responsive caregiving.
- All EHS families are eligible for direct family-specific benefits such as home visits, health tracking and follow-up, and individualized family support services.
For more information, contact:
Janette Glen, Lead Family Services Specialist
(843) 693-5265
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COMMUNITY BUZZ | First Day Festival
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On August 14th, CCFS participated in the annual First Day Festival that celebrates the start of the new school year. Thousands attended this fun-filled event that strives to unite the community around this important occasion. Some of the highlights of the event were free school supplies, healthy snacks, face painting and Aquarium tours! The First Steps booth distributed over 300 free books to families with children birth - 5 years old.
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We’re very excited about expanding our Raising a Reader program to all families participating in our Parents as Teachers home visitation program. In addition to the piloted 24 home-based children, Raising A Reader will reach an additional 60 children this year. Every child will receive a new set of books during each visit and most families receive 3-4 visits a month. Overall, Raising A Reader will reach 287 children throughout the course of the program year.
James Ella Collins
Executive Director
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