Released on = May 23, 2007, 1:52 pm

Press Release Author = Kristen Johnson

Industry = Education

Press Release Summary = Five leading organizations cite Parents as Teachers for work
in early childhood education

Press Release Body = ST. LOUIS (May 22, 2007) - What began in the 1970s as a
Missouri-based early childhood education program has not only spread to all 50
states, but has also received national acknowledgment in published studies and white
papers. Most recently, the long-term results, significant growth and the
cost-effectiveness of Parents as Teachers National Center and Parents as Teachers
programs have been noted by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University,
The Brookings Institution, the National Women's Law Center, American Journal of
Health Behavior and the National Center for Family Literacy.

Parents as Teachers National Center has been highlighted for its oversight and
emphasis on quality assurance by a case study written by the John F. Kennedy School
of Government at Harvard University. Starting Small, Reaching High: Parents as
Teachers National Center's Quest for Growth with Quality recognizes the National
Center's continued efforts to strengthen its relationships with partner
organizations at the state level and develop a stronger political voice for early
education issues. According to the study, the National Center "has hired additional
staff, including a public policy manager who traveled frequently to Washington,
D.C., in order to give PAT a stronger voice on early education issues, such as the
fight to keep federal funding of Head Start and Even Start programs in tact; the
effort to implement universal pre-kindergarten; and passage of Education Begins at
Home Act, which would grant federal money to states to invest in home visiting
programs like PAT."

"The National Center is the backbone that allows our strong network of state leaders
and partners to effectively implement programs that promote child development,
increase school readiness and ensure quality in how services are delivered to
families," said Susan Stepleton, president and CEO of St. Louis-based Parents as
Teachers National Center. "The Kennedy School case study elevates the National
Center's role as a professional development and training center, in addition to
hailing our administrative responsibilities in relationship to ensuring programs
across the country are adhering to specific standards."

A February 2007 piece released by The Brookings Institution, Cost-Effective
Investments in Children, covers national budgeting priorities with one important
focus: additional resources for children. The study points to the value of the
Parents as Teachers program and its emphasis on school readiness. One in a series of
five, The Brookings Institution paper states that Parents as Teachers has
demonstrated effectiveness "in early childhood interventions."

The National Women's Law Center white paper titled State Strategies to Strengthen
and Support Family, Friend and Neighbor Care applauds Parents as Teachers on its
efforts to establish home visiting programs for family, friend and neighbor (FFN)
childcare providers, as well as parents. Although Parents as Teachers "primarily
focuses on parents, it has a curriculum for FFN providers, too. The curriculum was
developed with the recognition that many FFN providers could benefit from home
visits in many of the same ways as parents, yet that it was necessary to have
materials designed specifically for the providers."

In addition to position papers, Parents as Teachers' efforts are being recognized in
peer review journals. "High 5 Low Fat," a program developed by Parents as Teachers
and Saint Louis University School of Public Health, has been highlighted in
Awareness and Adoption of a Nationally Disseminated Dietary Curriculum by the
American Journal of Health Behavior. The program was crafted "in response to a call
for innovative programs to address the diet-related cancer disparities among
African-Americans." Parents as Teachers filled the role of a national dissemination
vehicle for intervention strategies involving necessary dietary changes within
families. The program helps encourage parents to improve their child's diet by
"making individual dietary assessments and setting goals, developing label reading
skills, buying healthy foods without spending a lot of money, choosing the
healthiest selections when eating fast food and modifying family favorite recipes to
be healthier."

Finally, the Family and Child Education for American Indians (FACE), a program
within the Bureau of Indian Education using the Parents as Teachers model, has
helped to level the playing field for American Indian children before enrolling in
school. The National Center for Family Literacy published its findings earlier this
year in Early Identification Impacts Future Savings Through FACE. The newsletter
highlights the program's effectiveness in identifying special needs early, as well
as reducing the need for special education services once children enter school.
According to the study, "approximately 25 percent of children presently in
kindergarten though third grade who previously participated in FACE were identified
for early childhood special education services prior to kindergarten entry. This is
compared with 13 percent of children who had not participated in FACE."

"In 2005 Parents as Teachers began conducting a program results study," said Karen
Guskin, director of research and evaluation for Parents as Teachers National Center.
"Although it will take several years to complete, we're thrilled to be recognized
within case studies of other organizations."

For more child development and parenting information, visit www.ParentsAsTeachers.org.

About Parents as Teachers National Center
Based in St. Louis, Parents as Teachers National Center is the resource base and
backbone of Parents as Teachers, a parent education and early childhood development
program serving parents throughout pregnancy until their child enters kindergarten,
usually age 5. The nonprofit National Center oversees approximately 3,000 programs
offering Parents as Teachers services nationwide as well as in several other
countries. For more information about Parents as Teachers, visit
www.ParentsAsTeachers.org.


# # #


Web Site = http://www.ParentsAsTeachers.org

Contact Details = 2228 Ball Drive
St. Louis, MO 63146
(314) 432-4330
(314) 432-8963
Kristen.Johnson@ParentsAsTeachers.org