Parents As Teachers
Where Little Tigers Learn to Roar
From the very beginning, you are your child’s first teacher! Even before your baby is born, your voice, touch, and love are helping build the foundation for learning and development. Parents As Teachers is a free family education and support program for families in the Carthage R-9 School District, serving families from the prenatal stage through kindergarten entry. Our caring Parent Educators provide families with practical, research-based information, ideas, and activities that make it easier to nurture your child’s growth and prepare them for success in school and beyond.
Our goal is simple: to help you feel confident as a parent while giving your child the best possible start.
Through Parents As Teachers, families have access to:
Free developmental screenings
Personalized support and guidance from Parent Educators
Fun, age-appropriate activities to encourage learning and development
Information about early brain development and child development
Referrals to preschool programs and community resources
Support from prenatal development through kindergarten entry
Carthage Parents As Teachers currently serves more than 1,450 children in our community, helping families build strong foundations for lifelong learning.
Parents As Teachers began in Missouri in 1984 and has grown into a nationally and internationally recognized program, serving families in all 50 states and several other countries. Missouri requires a Parents As Teachers program in every school district. The Carthage program is proud to be recognized as one of the strongest Parents As Teachers programs in the state and nation by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Parents As Teachers National Center.
Parenting is an incredible journey, and every family deserves support along the way. Whether you’re expecting your first baby or preparing your child for kindergarten, we’re here to learn, grow, and celebrate with you.
Welcome to Parents As Teachers—we’re so glad you’re here!
Development Research
Brain development research shows that up to 80% of all learning we do is in the first formative six years, starting at birth. We put developmental materials and books in parents' hands to work with their children and tie them into the appropriate community resources to help them be the best parents they can be. We work with children in making sure they are meeting appropriate milestones and getting any needed early intervention along the way.
Lending Libraries
On April 18, 2018 the Early Childhood and Parents As Teachers students and staff joined the Carthage Literacy Council, the Chamber of Commerce, district administration, school board members and community members for the ribbon cutting of Carthage's fifth lending library. Anyone can borrow books! Lending Libraries are located in front of Early Childhood, Columbian, YMCA, by Chamber of Commerce and North of Grace Episcopal at Howard and Chestnut.
Stay up to date on exciting news, events and more with the ParentSquare app!
ParentSquare is a unified communication platform that offers a wide variety of tools which allow administrators and teachers to more effectively communicate and engage with families and students.
Some features include:
As a registered parent, you can: