Area Parents as Teachers “Make An Imprint” Donation Drive Underway
The Schulenburg/Weimar Area Parents as Teachers (PAT) Program is currently holding a “Make an Imprint” donation drive this year to take the place of the annual “Weekend in the Country” fundraiser.
PAT is in its 19th year serving the Schulenburg and Weimar communities and has offered 28,221 personal home visits to 723 families with 1,111 children. PAT also have extended literacy services, the Day Care Provider Program, Learn and Play Rooms (temporarily closed due to COVID), Reach Out and Read, the Book-Bag Project, along with collaboration with Turtle Wing, helping families with children that have special needs located outside the Schulenburg Independent School District and Weimar Independent School District area.
The core program offers personal home visits, group support meetings, developmental screenings to detect potential delays and resource networking. In 2019-2020, the program served 116 with 154 children with 1355 individualized personal home visit activities. There were ten children identified with developmental concerns, five of which are receiving additional special services to meet their needs. The cost of providing the home visitation parenting program to a family is approximately $1,000 per child each year. However, the Return of Investment (ROI) is priceless as the parents are helping their children during these early critical years of brain development, which sets the foundation for their child’s future success.
PAT is needed now more than ever. Families are experiencing so many new challenges, such as stress and anxiety, social isolation, barriers to resources, all brought on by COVID-19. PAT has been able to continue services to the families throughout all of this. The PAT educators are working tirelessly to meet family’s needs. Children continue to develop even when parents are in crises, so it is vital that PAT continues its work with parents so their children develop to their fullest potential.
Pediatrician and author T. Berry Brazelton states, “When we strengthen families we ultimately strengthen the community.” If you are interested in strengthen families and the community, please consider making an imprint by donating to the PAT program. Your support is needed and greatly appreciated. For more information about PAT, visit www.sw-pat.org or call (979) 743-6584.