Parents as Teachers

My son was in PAT and also had a speech problem. His parent educator referred us to Infant and Toddler Services, they are a gov't funded program so it is free of charge. As far as joining PAT it is too late the cut off age is three, but I am on the PTA (family network) for PAT and we host several activities throughout the year such as fire and police station visits, holiday make and take, messy nights, etc. Please e-mail me if you have any more questions.

The public school systems have very good speech programs. Children are allowed to start at 3 years of age. My son started speech at 2 years then at 3 we went to the school system and he participated until 3rd grade. And he was very excited to "graduate" and has't had any problems since. (He is 13 now) Remember boys are late bloomers talking. And some word sounds are hard to learn even with no speech problems.
Good Luck.

HI MaryAnn. I used to work for parents as teachers and have been through the program with all four of my kids. The national website is www.patnc.org or www.parentsasteachers.org. To find your local program, contact the Early Childhood Center in your school district (assuming you live in Missouri). If I can help you with more information, just let me know!

I'm not really sure how OKlahoma is with PAT but when we lived in Missouri and my kids where little the PAT was associated with the local schools.. They might beable to point you in the right direction..also conserning your little ones speech once he starts school they can test him and might point you in the direction of speech class.. I have had four of my kids in speech and I really had never noticed there problems until it was pin pointed out to me.. Your little one is still learning everyday how to talk and make sentences so don't get worried to quick.. My kids speech didn't get noticed until preschool..Good luck!!

it is a free program...i think you can find it through your school district. in fact itmight be listed in the telephone book under parents as teachers

I'm in parents as teachers with my daughter and will be having my newest son join this fall. They are always put on through the local school district. So you should just be able to call the adminstration office of your local school district. However, most of them do not run during the summer months just during the school year.

Hope that this helps,
L.

Hello there. I have my daughter in the parents as teachers group and it has been working out alot for us.
I know here in Springfield,Missouri area you can call ###-###-#### and that is to the office here for the Parents as Teachers and they can maybe get you the right answers you need to find the group where you live at.

I hope this helps you out.
Take care and God Bless You,
A.

It's called OPAT-Oklahoma Parents as Teachers...I wish I knew the number. I used it for my now four year old and they helped me get him ready for school. Search on the internet maybe?

I am part of PAT. What questions do you have?

Unfortunately, PAT stops at age 3, so I don't know if they'll send someone out to you. They're a part of the Shawnee Mission School District, and you can call them at ###-###-####. My son has had a wonderful PAT person, and we're really going to miss her. Stuart turns 3 on July 2, so we're nearly done with PAT, and it's been wonderful.

Good luck.

On a different note--where in OP are you? Maybe we could get our boys together some time!

Hello Maryann,
My son was delayed in nearly every ared except gross (large) motor skills we went through Sooner Start they also work at home or childcare you have to call the OASIS office to get to them they do an inital assesment takes a while during the assesment they observe for several hours. Sooner Start ages out at age 3 but they have transition services to send your child to special ed preschool at the school begining at age 3. OASIS is also an information warehouse for Oklahoma if you ever have a question about anything, the number is 1-800-426-2747

you can go to www.parentsasteachers.org and search for your school district. i'm involved in it in my school district and have nothing but great expereinces with them.

Maryann, my son is 2 and a half and we have been a part of OPAT in the Putnam City school district in Oklahoma for nearly a year now. The program consists of a representative coming out once a month for a one-on-one visit to track his progress, monthly meetings on relevant topics, and a huge resource library with books, games and puzzles that you can check out. I don't know what district you are in, but I would highly recommend involving your child. The personal evaluation is priceless. Please email me with any specific questions at ____@____.com.

Thanks!
-D.

My children and I participated in OPAT (Oklahoma Parents as Teachers) when they were younger and it was wonderful!!! It is not JUST for children who are having problems but it is for all young children!! It is a WONDERFUL program for learning about child development and it really helped me as a first, second and third time mom to teach my children, starting right after birth.
Usually, the local school would have information about the program. Or you can google it online and find out more information.
Do get involved in this with your child!! It is a great thing!! AND FREE!!

I and my daughter, Kara(10 months old on the 23rd of this month) are part of the Parents as Teachers program in the Blue Springs District and if you feel that your son has some speech problems then I would talk to them and see if they could test him. If you would like more information on it please feel free to email me at ____@____.com.
Thanks,
A.

Will you let me know what you find out please?

PAT is a wonderful organization. We started it when our son was only 8 weeks old. They have someone come to your house at your convenience, usually once a month or so. They evaluate your child's development (motor, speech, cognitive, play) and give you tips and info to help build/continue their overall developmental skills. We enjoyed it! Here, they are listed in the phone book, but if you cannot find a listing, you could call your local school district to find out or your local head start center. There are no income requirements, it does not matter if you child is advanced or delayed, there is no cost, and they have group meetings periodically so you can meet with other parents and children. They also provide parent education meetings and will give you all kinds of handouts for areas we all face a parents (toilet training, cpr, temper tantrums, learning and discovery). The one we were in also signed us up so that we received a wonderful children's book each month from Dolly Parton's book program. However, the one we were originally in only went to age 3. Apparently, Missouri goes to age 5, but we have not been involved in this one since we moved here. Good luck and I hope this was helpful.

Hello, Maryann
I not the person you are looking for, but If you looking for a wonderful place to get help for your son's speeh delay. My son also has a delay. I came across this place called Therapy Source for kids. They work with kids that have problems with Speech,Occupational,and Physical Therapy. I don't know how many offices they have,the office I go to is in tulsa. The number is ###-###-#### Hope I was some help good luck and God Bless.

I don't know what school district you're in. I know you can go to www.bluevalleyk12.org. On their home page there is a quick search and a drop=down box. Go to the Parents as Teachers section and there will be some contact information. Either you can do the same in your school district or contact them and they can get you the number to the district that you need.

Hi,

We started up with PAT when Meadow was nine months old. It has been really great so far and Meadow loves Toni, the PAT rep that visits us. The program is all about catching delays or imparments that a child may have BEFORE they enter school. They make it fun though, and they bring a book/toy everytime. They sometimes have an activity to do with the kid and parents. It is a free program and the way to get signed up is by contacting your school district that you live in. Just ask to be transfered to PAT or visit this website and go from there:

http://www.parentsasteachers.org/site/pp.asp?c=ekIRLcMZJx...

The only bad thing, is that is is just now coming to an end. The program runs August through May, so they might not start you all up until next school sem. We just had our last visit for the "school year" last weekend. That is another thing... they can come in the evenings or on weekends - whatever works best for you! Good luck, I am sure you will find the program helpful and rewarding to your child!

I am part of PAT and I love it! My husband, the grandparents, sitter, we all look forward to our PAT home visits. If you want them to meet with you before the fall get a hold of your elem. school or health center ASAP! PAT is funded through the public school system some how and they do not do home visits in the summer when school is not is session. They let you know how your child is doing with their skills, what is average for their age, you make toys together, they give you reading material for the different stages of child growth and development and give you ideas on fun games and learning activities you can do with your little one. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

J.

PAT is a good organazation. But it's not probably who you want to talk to. Who you want is Johnson county infant/toddler services. You can call the directly or call the Shawnee Mission District office for a referal. PAT keeps an eye on kids to see if there are delays. You already suspect one. Infant/Toddler will do evaluations (lots of them) and get you set up with therepy if you need it. Therepy usually runs through the summer as well. When your child turns 3 they will help you transition to the school district for speech services and walk you through the IEP process.
Even though your child is almost three I would still start now with Infant/Toddler. In the first place the soon speech help starts the better. In the second place, In my own experience, they are much easier to work with than the school districts.

Hi, I have my 2 1/2 year old daughter in the speech program too. Parents as Teachers referred me to a program called TARC. Martha Palmer is the EArly Childhood Special Education Teacher and she is wonderful. Her phone number is ###-###-#### ext 378. She will meet with you first and see exactly how delayed your child is and then give you some suggestions. Mine is making real progress. We work with flash cards and I am preparing her for preschool. If you are interested in Parents as Teachers they meet for playgroups every so often and have special activities as well. The contact person for that is Deanna Niles. She comes to visit and play with my 2 year old and my baby. Her phone number is 33-4762. Good Luck

Check on your school district website...you should be able to find your Parents As Teachers progam info there. I live in Olathe, have a 2 year old girl, and we have been involved with Parents As Teachers since she was a baby. It is an excellent program.

I'm pretty sure to get a PAT person to come to your house you can just call the main office of the school district you are in. I know for the Raytown schools the main page on the districe website has a link to PAT. I love PAT I was un able to do it with my daugter but was able to do it with my son and happy that I did.

Did you know Albert Einstein didn't speak until he was 5? I know because my son had speech delay, too. PAT will be a great resource for you for speech therapy. Also, my son and I created ways to turn parenting problems into priceless memories. I wrote a book with all the ideas that worked and it might be a good resource for you, it's only $9.95 at www.
twominutemom.com

My son is 12 now, gets straight A's, well mannered, popular, star of school play, great athlete, writes books, took a college art class in 4th grade, creates comic characters, writes plays, etc. all from the techniques we used in this book. Maybe it can help you, too?

It sounds like you have a little Einstein on your hands there. That's exciting!

Good luck!
B.