Atlantic, IA – The Parents as Teachers (PAT) program through Cass County Public Health is celebrating Parents as Teachers Day in Cass County on Friday, November 8th.  PAT is a free program for families with children ages 0-5, which provides home visits to help young children grow up healthy, safe, and ready to learn. The PAT educators help connect community partners with parents to prepare children for kindergarten and beyond.

Nancy Gibson, PAT Coordinator, says “Parents as Teachers has been providing services to Cass County residents since 1998, and we are a credentialed, evidence-based program. It is an honor and privilege to serve our youngest residents and be a part of their education system.”  PAT currently has two different educators who provide monthly home visits to families with young children. During these visits, they work on getting a complete health history, doing developmental screenings to catch any delays as early as possible, check on immunizations, and much more. Children in the program also have access to free vision, hearing, and dental checks. The PAT program is partially funded by a grant from Boost 4 Families.

PAT currently has limited openings, parents who are interested in the program can contact Nancy at 712-243-7475. Referrals are also welcome—anyone who knows of a family that could benefit from participating is encouraged to call.