SIPH offers free parenting program in southeast Idaho

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Have you ever had questions about your child’s development? Would you like to learn more about how you can help your children learn, grow and develop?

A parent is a child’s first and most influential teacher. In the first few years, children learn more and at a much faster pace than any other time in their life, and by the age of three, children have learned 75% of all the language skills they will have as adults.

Southeastern Idaho Public Health has a free evidence-based Parents as Teachers home visitation program designed to offer support to parents and to provide them with information and to help build their children’s intellectual, language, social and physical development from ages birth to the age of three.

Families participating in the Parents as Teachers program will receive:

• Monthly home visits from a certified parent educator offering support along the parenting journey and offer age-appropriate information including; prenatal care for healthy growth and development, what to expect as your child grows and develops, how to encourage intellectual development, curiosity and language development and fun activities to help your child develop skills and prepare for school.
• Health and development screenings that focus on the child’s development and the well-being of the family to provide information and connections to supports in the community.
• Monthly group connection meetings where parents can discuss and learn about child development, parenting issues and concerns, and make connections with other families to provide support for each other.

National research findings show children who participate in Parents as Teachers are healthier, score higher on kindergarten readiness tests, are better problem solvers, and are more advanced in language and social development. The Parents as Teachers program is currently enrolling families who are pregnant or who have children from birth to five years of age. Visits are held in person or virtually.

If you would like to learn more about the Parents as Teachers program or to enroll, contact
Southeastern Idaho Public Health at 208-239-5238 or at pat@siph.idaho.gov.