Jefferson City Public Schools-Parents as Teachers

The Jefferson City Public Schools Parents as Teachers program offers a variety of free services to families residing in the school district who have children prenatally until the time they enter kindergarten. More details about these services can be viewed in the "Products" section below.

Parents as Teachers began in Missouri as a pilot project for first-time parents of newborns. Recognizing the program's benefits and cost effectiveness, the Missouri legislature provided state funding in 1985 to implement Parents as Teachers programs in all Missouri school districts. Since 1985, Parents as Teachers has expanded to all 50 states and six other countries.

The goals of the Parents as Teachers National Center (www.parentsasteachers.org) are:
-Increase parent knowledge of early
childhood development and improve
parenting practices
-Provide early detection of
developmental delays and health
issues
-Prevent child abuse and neglect
-Increase children’s school readiness
and school success

Our program follows the guidelines set forth by Senate Bill 658: the Early Childhood Development Act, outlined by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (http://dese.mo.gov/quality-schools/early-learning/parents-teachers).

DESE's goals and expected outcomes for Parents as Teachers programs include:
-Provide appropriate and useful
information and guidance to parents as
their child’s primary and most
important teachers
-Increase parental confidence and
involvement in the educational
development of their child
-Inform parents of possible delays in
their child’s development, as well as
normal progression
-Increase readiness for kindergarten
-Prepare children for success in school
and life

The JCPS Parents as Teachers program is considered an Affiliate program by the Parents as Teachers National Center. This means that we are working toward meeting all of the Essential Requirements to achieve fidelity to the Parents as Teachers model so all families and children are receiving the highest quality services possible. We hope to become one of the first "Blue Ribbon Affiliates" in the state of Missouri after completing the Quality Endorsement and Improvement Process. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education supports PAT programs in Missouri to help achieve this goal.