Sunnyside Unified School District’s Parents as Teachers, an early child-development and parenting program, received two grants in the last year totaling $235,000.
Parents as Teachers is a national voluntary program designed to teach and support parents with children from prenatal care to when they begin kindergarten. It’s offered to any family living within the district.
First Things First, which funds early childhood programs through a state tobacco tax, awarded the program $160,000 over three years. Parents as Teachers used the grant to hire three new staff members.
The second grant, $75,000 over three years, came from Social Venture Partners Greater Tucson, a fund of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.
The program also receives $295,000 in federal Title I funding a year, said program coordinator Joan Katz.
The program is based on the belief that parents are their child’s first teachers, Katz said. The goal is to help parents give their children a solid foundation for school success, she said. The Sunnyside program currently has 306 families with 393 children enrolled. Of the families, 39 are teen parents and 20 are enrolled in Sunnyside high schools, Katz said.
Parents as Teachers offers weekly, biweekly or monthly personal visits to each family where parent educators share age-appropriate learning activities with parents. All parent educators are specially trained and certified.
The home visitations include lessons to improve learning skills that prepare children for school, safety and health, Katz said, which are key components of the program.
“Our goal is to teach the parents,” said Alma Alvorado, a parent educator. “You learn a lot, too. Everyday is different.”
Alvorado said she educates 30 to 32 families at a time and visits homes to work with parents and children. Group meetings are also offered, such as library days, where parents and children can play, interact and learn and children can be screened for identification of developmental delays or health issues, Katz said.
Anna Riesgu has brought her son and daughter to the program since the school year began. Her son is very shy but opens up more by the end of each day’s activities.
Another program that the SUSD chapter of Parents as Teachers started Fathers Matter. This program was created specifically to encourage fathers to be more involved in their children’s early education, Katz said. At least once a month, fathers can bring their kids to an evening learning and play time.
SUSD began its Parents as Teachers program in 1995 and more than 4,000 families and 4,500 children have participated.
Parents as Teachers is a national voluntary program designed to teach and support parents with children from prenatal care to when they begin kindergarten. It’s offered to any family living within the district.
First Things First, which funds early childhood programs through a state tobacco tax, awarded the program $160,000 over three years. Parents as Teachers used the grant to hire three new staff members.
The second grant, $75,000 over three years, came from Social Venture Partners Greater Tucson, a fund of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona.
The program also receives $295,000 in federal Title I funding a year, said program coordinator Joan Katz.
