Q: What is PATGC?
PATGC is an affiliate of the Parents as Teachers National program that provides parenting education and family support to families throughout pregnancy until their child enters kindergarten.
Q: How is PATGC different than Head Start and/or preschool?
While there is a parenting/in-home component to Head Start and the NC Pre-K program, the primary focus is on the child in a classroom setting. PATGC is focused on building supportive relationships with parents in order to equip them with parenting competence and confidence to prepare their child to enter school socially, emotionally and academically ready to learn, building a firm foundation for future academic and life success.
Q: Why wouldn't children in your program just enroll in Head Start and/or preschool?
They could...if there was space for them. Currently, Head Start/Early Head Start can serve around 1,200 children in Guilford County. The North Carolina Pre-K program currently has the capacity to serve a little more than 1,900 four year olds. There are approximately 37,000 children in Guilford County aged birth to kindergarten.
Q: How does PATGC meet its families?
Families find us through internet searches, word-of-mouth referrals or referrals from their pediatrician or other service providers.
Q: How will PATGC use my donation?
Donations are used for general operations as well as to support the Parent Educators’ work with their families.
Q: I have children who are older than five years old; can my family participate in PATGC?
As long as there is a child in the family who has not yet started kindergarten, the family can participate.
Q: How does PATGC measure program effectiveness?
PATGC participates in continuous quality improvement. Information about the program’s effectiveness or the participating child’s readiness for kindergarten is collected through a number of ways, including milestone observation and recording, results of the Ages and Stages Developmental Screening tool and Keys to Interactive Parenting Success and parent surveys. This information is used to plan visits with families or make changes to the program to improve services.
Q: Who are PATGC's community partners?
The community partners that support our work continue to grow. Currently some of these partners include the New Arrivals Institute, UNCG’s Bringing out the Best, Family Service of the Piedmont Healthy Start Program, Guilford County Health Department, Ready for School, Ready for Life, Family Solutions, and the Child Development Services Agency.
Q: How is PATGC funded?
PATGC receives the bulk of its funding from the Guilford County Partnership for Children. Other sources of funding are the Cemala Foundation, various other small grants and individual donations.
Q: My child is not behind. Why should I care about PATGC?
PATGC is designed for all families and all children. Parent Educators partner with families during their early parenting years providing timely information about developmental stages and what expected behaviors are associated with those stages.
So, for a child that is not behind, knowing what is to come is useful. And the age-appropriate-parent-child activities conducted during visits are not only educational. They're fun!
Q: What is the desired outcome for families who participate in the PATGC program?
Stronger families with parents/caregivers who are confident in their parenting skills and knowledge of what needs to be done to prepare their children to enter school socially, emotionally and academically ready to learn.