A Sunnyside district child-development and parenting program received two separate grants totaling $235,000.
First Things First awarded $160,000 to the school district's Parents as Teachers program, and the money will be allocated over three years. First Things First is a voter-approved initiative that funds early childhood and development programs through a state tobacco tax.
And Social Venture Partners Greater Tucson, a fund of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, awarded Parents as Teachers $75,000 over three years. The foundation is a philanthropic organization that provides grants to strengthen community programs.
Parents as Teachers, now an international program that was developed in the 1970s by Missouri educators and implemented in the Sunnyside district in 1995, is a voluntary program, said Joan Katz, Parents as Teachers coordinator. The goal is to prepare children for school so they can be successful.
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Research in early childhood development and family education shows that family involvement in children's learning is critical for development of academic skills, Katz said. She said a parent is a child's first and most important teacher.
As part of the program, special educators teach parents about prenatal care for healthy fetal growth and development, and how to encourage curiosity, intellectual and language development. Parents also have access to a toy- and book-lending library service.
Monthly visits to the child's home are made by parent educators, and group meetings with parents and children are held at elementary schools.
"We do a lot of recruiting and go to high schools and pre-schools to let parents know about the program," Katz said. "Most of our referrals come from other parents who are in or went through the program.
"Anyone who lives within the district's boundaries can apply and must be pregnant or have a child who is an infant up to age 5 to qualify for the program," Katz said.
The First Things First grant allowed for the hiring of three staff members. The program has 13 parent educators, and 12 are bilingual. Parents as Teachers also receives $295,000 in federal funding a year, Katz said.
The Social Venture Partners grant will allow the continuation of late afternoon and Saturday sessions for teens and working parents, and an evening program for fathers.
Parents as Teachers serves about 368 families a year, and since the program began 14 years ago, about 4,500 families have taken part, Katz said.
Contact reporter Carmen Duarte at 573-4104 or cduarte@azstarnet.com
