Challenges drive local Parents as Teachers into 2011-12

The goal of Dexter Schools' Parents as Teachers program, says its director, Melanie Stoelting, is to involve parents with their children's education and to be confident in their role as a parent. In doing so, the goal then is to help their children learn, grow and develop to realize their full potential.

In an ideal world, those goals would be attained by every parent within the Dexter School District. In the real world, however, and more importantly in light of the current economic challenges within the public schools in Missouri, Stoelting readily admits that not all children within her sights will be reached by her program's efforts this year. It's a reality. Budget cuts have forced Stoelting for the past three years to cut and cut again, but the 2011-12 year has proven so far to be the most challenging one yet.

The PAT program is currently operating on a budget that has been slashed well over 60 percent since 2009. In spite of the cuts, 230 families considered to be "high needs" were served, along with 52 non-high need households in 2011. Home visits by parent educators totaled 1,447.

This year, allocations statewide for PAT services was to total $16 million, but then came Joplin.

"The governor allocated millions of PAT's intended funding to the recovery efforts in Joplin, and we certainly cannot complain about that," Stoelting says. "The people in Joplin had to have assistance and it had to come from somewhere. Still, it meant we had to further tighten our already tight belts."

Gov. Nixon's decision cost Parents as Teachers programs statewide over two million dollars. Some districts elected not to operate a PAT program at all. In Kennett and New Madrid, the program is non-existent. Others got their pencils out and began the process of cutting yet more off of their already bare-boned programs.

"In the end," says Stoelting, "Dexter was allocated $69,116 for this year."

That amount from the state, coupled with an $11,300 grant from the Regional Healthcare Foundation, made for a total working budget of $80,416, which still represents a significant cutback.

"Of that amount," Stoelting told members of the Board of Education Tuesday night during her annual presentation to the board, "we've allowed $15,960 to be spent for screenings."

That amount would accommodate 532 children from three months to kindergarten age.

An additional $53,156 is expected to be spent on Parent Education; that is, visits in the home by parents educators.

Until the PAT program's budget began diminishing in recent years, every parent of every child within the Dexter School District could count on receiving services through the local program for their preschool child. It was a given. Through word of mouth and the news media, the program has been promoted and has served nearly every family in the school district.

With the significant reduction in funding, it seemed inevitable that in order for Dexter's PAT program to continue as the quality program for which it has been credited, more funding was going to have to become available.

"The Parents for PAT Committee," explained Stoelting Tuesday night, "has been formed to raise funds in order to serve families who may not have high need indicators and otherwise would not receive services from the organization."

Those indicators would include vision, hearing, speech, physical or other problems that might interfere with the normal development of a preschool child.

As a direct result of the budget cuts, home visits were cut back past the age of three, where previously home visits were paid until kindergarten age. For the first time in its nearly 30-year history, a waiting list for family's requesting PAT services developed.

And so, a group of concerned parents formulated the "help" committee, the Parents for PAT Committee. This week they began an industrious effort, soliciting local merchants, civic organizations and clubs, to consider contributing to the program whose funding continues to dwindle.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has changed their guidelines in recent years, given the cuts in funding. The priority for the current year, however, continues to lie in the area of screenings.

"Early intervention is key in dealing with developmental problems," Stoelting says. "So, we'll continue to focus on early screenings with the second priority being personal visits with high needs families."

And although there is a waiting list for the PAT program, Stoelting says no child with high needs will be left unserved.

"High needs children are our first served," she says, "and that will not change."

Through the local PAT program in 2011, 90 children were found to need referrals for vision, hearing or development.

"Another DESE priority," explains Stoelting, "states that at least 75 percent of the families served within the total parent education program must be prenatal to three years of age."

That accounts for 878 home visits in the course of the 2011-12 year.

That can only be accomplished, Stoelting says, with outside funding, all of which she says will be used for making home visits.

"Children don't come with a handbook," she reminded the board Tuesday night. "The PAT program is here to help children grow and to learn, and we'll continue to do so in any way we can," says the seven-year veteran director of the local program.

"We do this job because we love it," she adds. "If I won the lottery tomorrow, I might have some fun spending some of it, but I'd always come back to this job."