On April 7

th
and 8
th
, the Texas Parents as Teachers State Office
welcomed 45 supervisors from communities across the state to its
annual Leadership Summit. The summit built upon 30 years of
National Parents as Teachers. It was an opportunity to celebrate
achievements and discuss tools and resources to strengthen services
as programs move forward in their work with children and families.

The two-day event encouraged reflection on program design and
included presentations by the PAT State and National Offices. Texas
Parents as Teachers Director, Elaine Shiver, reported on activities
and accomplishments for 2013, outlining State Office roles and
responsibilities. Claire McEnery, Program Specialist, and Valerie
Lopez-Stern, Technical Assistant, offered working sessions on the
importance of Group Connections and on Visit Tracker reports. To
promote best-practices in preparing and delivering personal visits,
Will Francis, Technical Assistance Manager, led an instructive
training on the Planning Guide. Finally, from National PAT, the
Director of Research and Quality Improvement, Dr. Karen Guskin,
unveiled the new endorsement process and discussed resources to
assist with model fidelity and quality assurance.

On Day Two, we were fortunate to hear guest speaker, Robin Quinn,
President and CEO of Productivity Plus, and long-time member of
the Texas PAT Advisory Board. Robin addressed intergenerational
interactions in the workplace and effective leadership strategies to
motivate and engage employees. We also welcomed Aisling
McGuckin, Maternal and Child Health Nurse Consultant with Texas
DSHS, who spoke on the Healthy Texas Babies Initiative and the
Someday Starts Now campaign. Participants learned about health
disparities driven by infant mortality and prematurity and received
tools to help families plan for healthy births.

Leadership Summit:
Bui l di ng Bri dges, Movi ng Forward

Texas Parents as Teachers eNews
Summer 2014


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Will Francis; MHAT Board Chair, John Theiss; Elaine Shiver; and
MHAT Vice President, Mary Ellen Nudd honor Mayra Benningfield
(center) for her 25 years of service to Parents as Teachers.
TXPAT Board Chair, Dr. Cathy Nathan; TXPAT Board Member,
Marsha West; and Elaine Shiver present Julie Miers of Fort Worth
ISD with the Jeannette Watson Texas Parents as Teachers
Advocacy Award.

Continued

2
At a special reception Monday night, attendees and members of the advisory board celebrated
together. With Texas PAT in its 28
th
year, we recognized two special people who pioneered home
visiting in our state. Julie Miers, PAT National and State Trainer, and Program Coordinator of Fort
Worth ISD, was honored with the Jeannette Watson Texas Parents as Teachers Advocacy Award. Julie
celebrates 27 years with PAT and is known by supervisors and parent educators as a mentor, a wealth
of knowledge, and an invaluable support. Mayra Benningfield, State Office Manager, was honored for
her 25 years of service to PAT. Mayra has been with Texas PAT from the formative years, organizing
efforts and guiding programs. Without Mayra, we would not have the scale of services that the state
enjoys today. Thanks to all for a fabulous two days in Austin and for all you do in your communities
around the state!

1exas arenLs as 1eachers ls proud Lo announce LhaL our own Llalne Shlver was Lhls year's reclplenL
of Lhe 1. 8erry 8razelLon, M.u. lnfanL MenLal PealLh Advocacy Award, presenLed ln AusLln by Lhe
1exas AssoclaLlon for lnfanL MenLal PealLh. 1he award was esLabllshed ln 1990 Lo honor ur. 1. 8erry
8razelLon, a 1exas naLlve and world-renowned pedlaLrlclan, researcher, auLhor, and advocaLe. ur.
8razelLon was Lhe reclplenL of Lhe flrsL Advocacy Award based on hls exLenslve work, whlch
emphaslzes Lhe lmporLance of early learnlng and Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween careglver and chlld. Slnce
1990, Lhe award has been glven Lo 10 lndlvlduals who have made slgnlflcanL conLrlbuLlons Lo Lhe
lmprovemenL of Lhe menLal healLh of lnfanLs, Loddlers, and famllles.

Llalne has served as Lhe SLaLe Leader for 1exas arenLs as 1eachers for 28 years. She ls a A1
naLlonal 1ralner and chalrs Lhe SLaLe Leader Advlsory Councll. Llalne served on Lhe arenLal
CuLreach and CommunlcaLlon CommlLLee of Lhe 1exas Larly Learnlng Councll, and asslsLed wlLh
lmplemenLaLlon of sLaLewlde pro[ecLs LhaL assess needs and pro[ecL plans for early chlldhood
servlces ln 1exas. 1he councll lnlLlaLed a sLaLewlde awareness campalgn on school readlness.
CongraLulaLlons, Llalne! 1hank you on behalf of Lhe many 1exas famllles who have been Louched by
your work.
Marn|e L. Stone, Infant Menta| nea|th Advocacy Award Co-Cha|r, Dr. Ioshua
Sparrow, D|rector of Strategy, |ann|ng, and rogram Deve|opment at the
8raze|ton 1ouchpo|nts Center at 8oston Ch||dren's nosp|ta|, L|a|ne Sh|ver,
and Comm|ss|oner Iudge Iohn Spec|a.
Congratu|at|ons to
1exas arents as 1eachers D|rector

Llalne Shlver
on rece|v|ng the

2014 1. 8erry 8raze|ton, M.D.
Infant Menta| nea|th
Advocacy Award


3
National Child Abuse Awareness Month
Graham ISD,
Graham, Texas

The Parents as Teachers program of Graham
ISD is proof that a small group of dedicated
individuals can have a tremendous impact on
their community. On April 9
th
, Parents as
Teachers families in Graham, Texas donned
blue shirts and gathered under sunny skies in
the town square for the Go Blue Day Parade, an
opportunity to promote public awareness of
child maltreatment and focus efforts on
preventing abuse and neglect. The parade took
place during the towns Week of the Young
Child, a week of activities focused on early
childhood development. Isabel Smith, PAT
Coordinator for Graham ISD and chairwoman
of the Young County Child Welfare Board,
played a prominent role with local advocates to
organize the events.

Parenting Cottage Educators participated in
GO BLUE LUBBOCK DAY April 4 2014-
for Child Abuse Awareness Month. The
Parenting Cottages PAT Program also
served as a sponsor for the Kickoff Breakfast
for Child Abuse Awareness Month on Friday
March 28, 2014 at Covenant Health System,
which included guest speakers, Senator
Robert Duncan, Criminal District Attorney
Matt Powell, and Lubbock County Sheriff
Kelly Rowe. The event was sold out with
over 250 attending.
The Parenting Cottage
Lubbock, Texas
Mayor Barry White signs a proclamation declaring Wednesday, April 9,
Go Blue Day. Pictured are, from left, Susie Clack, executive director of
Virginias House; Beth Beggs, Young County Child Welfare Board;
Emma Nesbitt, YCCWB; Geri Hutson, YCCWB; Diane Martin, YCCWB;
Judge John C. Bullock, YCCWB; Isabel Smith, YCCWB, Graham ISD
Parents as Teachers; Warren Bachman, YCCWB; and Michelle Hanson,
CPS investigation supervisor.
Pictures and caption by: Julianne Murrah/ The Graham Leader.

Graham ISD Parents as Teachers members march in the
Go Blue Day parade.
Parenting Cottage Educators participate in
GO BLUE LUBBOCK DAY April 4, 2014.

4

Evidence-based home visiting models,
like PAT, yield positive outcomes:

Strong communities,
thriving families, and
children who are healthy,
safe, and ready to learn.
---Pat Locig Mocel
Teen Parent Related Services of Ector County
ISD held their third annual Open House at
Zavala Child Care Center in Odessa, Texas.

Ector County ISD
Odessa
Schulenburg/Weimar Area
Site Happenings . . .
Any Baby Can
Austin
Teen Parent Related Services of Ector County ISD featured their
first motivational workshop, featuring Hip Hop Artist Zeeda Veal.
Zeeda was an exceptional motivational speaker touching the lives
of the students and staff who attended.

Any Baby Can families gather to practice yoga in the park at a spring group connection.
The Schulenburg/Weimar Parents as Teachers Program offers
an atmosphere filled with toys, books, friends, crafts at the
Learn and Play ~ Family Resource Center.

5
Renewals and APR

We wanted to provide everyone with a reminder about paying your affiliate fee and with an update on the
steps to submit your 2013-2014 Annual Performance Report. June 30
th
is the deadline by which all sites need
to have paid the 2013-2014 fee. The fee must be submitted by that date to retain Model Affiliate status, and
you will not be able to upload your APR if you are in arrears. If you have already paid, then next years fee
will be due September 30
th
. All sites will need to submit the APR before paying next years fee.

Just make sure you have followed these two steps:

1.) Submit your 2013-2014 fee before you attempt the APR.
2.) Get this years APR in before you pay the 2014-2015 fee.

There is a webinar online that covers affiliate renewal. It is found under This Months Updates on the login
page of the PAT eBusiness Portal.

If you have not already, you may download a copy of the 2013-2014 APR at www.parentsasteachers.org in the
Results > Fidelity & Quality tab. Please review the items and the instructions on pages 13-17 to help you
prepare for entering data into the web-based system. Another helpful tool on the same tab is the APR
Crosswalk. It provides specific indicators of performance by essential requirement, and can be used to
determine how different sections of the APR are calculated.

If this is your first APR, you will be doing the short form. Dont forget that even if you plan on becoming an
Approved User you still need to submit an Individual Service Report (ISR), which can be found on the portal.

Once you submit your APR we will review it here at the State Office to identify potential questions or
clarifications before submitting it to National. Our goal is to be as supportive as possible throughout the
process; if there is anything you need please email or call us.
Alethea Loeffler joins Parents as Teachers as an MSW intern. She currently
attends Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. After stints living in
Seattle and New Mexico, Alethea has been in Austin for a little over a year. She
completed her undergraduate field placement at the Alzheimers Association in
Seattle Washington. There she worked as a care consultant in their El Portal
program: assisting diverse families and individuals in locating resources,
providing guidance to address immediate needs, planning for the future and
supporting the family throughout the course of the disease. Alethea is passionate
about racial and economic equality, as well as working with people who share
her aspirations for social justice. She is excited about both the practice as well
as program opportunities her MSW internship with Parents as Teachers will
provide; specifically the emphasis on strengthening and empowering diverse
families within their own environment.
Support at the State Office
Parents as Teachers Welcomes new Intern:
Roll and Read Day: Save the Date!
Be part of Parents as Teachers' first-ever Roll and Read Day -- a shared event on September 20 or 21 that
you can make into a local celebration of two important goals for PAT families -- physical well-being and
early literacy. How will Roll and Read Day work in your community? Its up to you. It could be a
fundraiser, a way to increase awareness about your program, or your next group connection. To get
started planning your Roll and Read Day, send an e-mail to: info@parentsasteachers.org and well send
you a toolkit filled with ideas on how to customize your event. The 2014 kickoff of the Roll and Read Day
is part of the national celebration of Parents as Teachers 30th anniversary!


6

2014 Texas Parents as Teachers Calendar

Foundational Trainings: Model Implementation:
7/21-7/23 Fort Worth 7/24-7/25 Fort Worth
8/4-/8/6 Amarillo 8/7-8/8 Amarillo
9/15-9/17 Dallas 9/18-9/19 Dallas
11/10-11/12 San Antonio 11/13-11/14 San Antonio

3-K Trainings:
6/25-6/26 Dallas

The NEW 3 Years Through Kindergarten Training and Curriculum will be offered throughout the country
and UK beginning in late fall. You can refer to the National Parents as Teachers eNews public
information area for further details, as they are available. Educators previously trained in 3-K will not need
to be retrained to use the new curriculum.

2014 Release of the 3 Years Through Kindergarten Curriculum and Training
Whats new?
Digital book format (like the online Foundational Curriculum) with additional web-based features and
embedded videos that support PEs knowledge and skill development.
Continuation of the Foundational approach, including enriched and expanded resources to support
work in all three areas of emphasis parent-child interaction, development-centered parenting, and
family well-being.
Attention to parent engagement in community and schools, including building the capacity to
successfully transition into and navigate these environments.

Texas Trainers Planning Meeting, June 23 24, 2014, Dallas

National Parents as Teachers Conference in St. Louis, October 8 10, 2014
State Leaders and National Trainers Meetings, St. Louis, October 7 8, 2014

Texas Regional MeetingsOctober in eight regions, dates to be determined:
Region Regional Trainer

Panhandle October, 2014 Victoria Hughes, Amarillo, victoria.hughes@esc16.net
TEA Region 16 806/683-4248

Fort Worth October, 2014 Deanne Colley, Fort Worth, dcolley@nisdtx.org
TEA Regions 9, 11, & 12 817/215-0198

Lubbock October, 2014 Becky Fletcher, Lubbock, becky@parentingcottage.org
TEA Regions 14, 15, 17, 18 & 19 806/795-7552

Gulf Coast October, 2014 Holly Evans, Houston, hevans@familyservices.org
TEA Regions 4, 5 & 6 832/289-9523

San Antonio October, 2014 Kristen Fain, New Braunfels, kfain@mckenna.org
TEA Region 2, 3 & 20 830/606-9514

Austin October, 2014 Erin Garner, Leander, erin.garner@leanderisd.org
TEA Region 13 512/570-0320

Dallas October, 2014 Sharron Whitaker, Dallas, fcc_whitaker@sbcglobal.net
TEA Regions 7, 8 & 10 972/298-3366

Valley October, 2014 Roschel Servantes, McAllen, rservantes@easterseals-rgv.org
TEA Region 1 956/631-9171