Most agree that the educational system needs improvement. For Deborah Foster, the parent of a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old, that means starting early in life.
A State study, commissioned by the Missouri School Assessment Project reinforces Foster’s claim, reporting that participation in pre-kindergarten services such as Parents as Teachers led to higher school readiness and predicting third-grade achievement, regardless of gender, income level, minority status and even poverty.
Foster is one of thousands of parents aided through Parents as Teachers National Center, a St. Louis-based program that provides parents with strategies that promote healthy development from the prenatal period up until their child’s fifth birthday.
Karen Guskin, research and evaluation director, said while poverty is still a major factor in children’s school achievement, the result that school readiness outweighs it shows great promise for children living in poverty. She said the study’s results emphasize the need to continue advocating for early childhood support and parent education.
“Learning begins at birth – not when children enter school,” Guskin said. “When parents take advantage of high-quality early childhood programs, such as Parents as Teachers and preschool, they increase their children’s school readiness and later school success.”
The study, published in the March issue of “Journal of Primary Prevention,” assessed the school readiness and achievement of 7,000 Missouri public school kindergartners. The children were tested in 65 areas that included symbolic development, communication, working with others and mathematical/physical knowledge.
The study found that poor children who received high-intensity PAT services plus preschool were just as likely to be ready for kindergarten as their more-affluent peers who had neither PAT nor preschool.
“Being a competent reader by the third grade is a key indicator of children’s school success,” Guskin said. “Children who do well in the early grades of elementary school are more likely to graduate from high school and go on to be successful in life.”
Parents as Teachers National Center is the nation’s largest center of parent education and early childhood development. Through a combination of home visits by parent educators, parent support meetings, child development screenings and observations, PAT gives all parents the opportunity to acquire skills to make the most of their child’s early years.
“The concept of the program is so effective – parents being the child’s first teacher – that it attracts all cultures,” said Cheryle Dyle-Palmer, chief operating officer, adding that the program has a successful track record of working with minority families. She said the program is present in all school districts across Missouri and is looking to increase its work in St. Louis Public Schools.
Foster learned about PAT through her niece, who had a child in the Jennings School District PAT program.
“My children’s education is very important and anything to teach them the right thing to do is great to me,” Foster said.
Her parent educator visits her at her Jennings home once a month to teach Foster’s two young children their shapes, colors and letters. She also teaches Foster tips on how to get the children to master more difficult tasks, such as tying their shoes.
“She’s understanding and friendly and she’s a lot of help,” Foster said of her parent educator. “When I have problems, I can sit down and talk to her about it.”
The study found parents who participated in PAT were more likely to read to their children more often and were more likely to enroll them in preschool – both of which increased school readiness. In addition, a higher percentage of children who participated in PAT had better third-grade test scores on the Missouri Achievement Program test.
“It taught me that I need education also to help me to educate my children,” Foster said. “If you take your time to teach your children, they learn.”