Before school age: Parents as Teachers welcomes little ones in Blue Valley School District

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV) - On Wednesday, the Blue Valley School District welcomed students back for their first day of school. That includes elementary, middle, and high schoolers, but kids who aren’t even ready for school are still “heading back.”

Parents as Teachers is a program offered in most school districts around the Kansas City Metro. In the Blue Valley School District, the program follows a standard school calendar, but it’s designed for kids who normally can’t even walk or talk yet.

The Blue Valley Parents as Teachers program is a universal, free home visiting program for families residing in the Blue Valley School District with children prenatal through three years of age. Through Parents as Teachers, families receive monthly home visits, screenings, group connections, and resource connections.

Blue Valley Parents as Teachers Coordinator, Michelle Kelly, said the program is a way for parents to get help through professional support.

“We offer a home visitor who stays with the family all three years,” Kelly said. “They answer all your questions from sleep and nutrition, to toileting and discipline.”

Blue Valley employs 17 parent educators throughout the district. It is free to join the program, and there aren’t any specific requirements.

Isabella Barboza-Sanoja is one of several first-time parents who take advantage of the service. She said the parent educator who works with her family has helped her through early parenting and even encouraged her to go back to school while taking care of her daughter.

“This is already kind of a classroom setting, and an introduction to following directions during play groups,” Barboza-Sanoja said. “It changed my life, it changed the way I parent, it changed the way I interact with my child. I didn’t know I needed it, and I think it’s really important for new parents who might not have as much support.”

According to the Child Care Resource Center, 80 percent of a child’s brain development occurs within the first 1,000 days of life. You can learn more about Parents as Teachers in your school district here.

Read More stories in our Back to School section.