Scottdale Early Learning, a 501(c)3 early care and educational organization serving low and moderate income families in DeKalb County, has been awarded the prestigious Losos Prize for Innovation by the international organization Parents as Teachers (PAT).  The annual award recognizes excellence and innovation in home visiting services to young children and their families delivered through Scottdale’s Parents as Teachers program.  Only two Losos Awards are given each year to PAT Blue Ribbon Model Affiliates. www.parentsasteachers.org, www.scottdale.org

“We are so thrilled that our PAT program has been honored with the Losos Prize”, said Dr. Tyeichia Mason, interim president/CEO of Scottdale Early Learning.  “Our team was recognized for the innovative PAT virtual classrooms we developed during the pandemic for the families we serve to help them stay up-to-date with community resources and educational activities.”

Scottdale Early Learning has utilized the PAT program for over a decade to help young children in DeKalb County’s at-risk communities through educating and supporting their families.  Based on the idea that parents are their children’s first teachers, PAT’s mission is to provide information, support and community resources to families in order for them to provide the education needed during their child’s crucial stages of development.  Scottdale’s PAT services are geared for prenatal mothers until the child has reached Pre-K or Kindergarten.

The Losos Prize for Innovation is given each year to PAT Blue Ribbon Model Affiliates that have developed new solutions to address specific needs in their community.  Innovation can include more effective processes, services or technologies.  The prize was created in 2006 and named for its benefactor, Carolyn W. Losos.  She was a lifelong early childhood proponent who was instrumental in establishing Parents as Teachers in the early 1980s.

“The PAT program is an essential component of the center’s long-term strategy of working with low-income families, and extending SEL’s reach and expertise further into the community with families that do not use center-based care such as preschool and pre-K,” said Dr. Mason. “Our Certified Parent Educators meet twice a month with over 100 families in the home to coach and mentor each parent as he or she develops safe and healthy attachments with their young children.  They facilitate educational activities and play for the parents and children to enjoy together.  During the visits, the PAT professionals educate the parents about early childhood development, and improve parenting practices, including preventing child abuse and neglect.  The PAT professionals also provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues, and connect the family with community resources, when needed.”

In addition to the at-home visits, families served by the PAT program are invited to family engagement events and workshops at the center where they are able to participate in programs on parenting issues and interact with other parents.  Children enjoy structured playtime together, to help prepare them for classroom settings.

Scottdale Early Learning’s Parents as Teachers program is supported locally through gifts from private foundations, government grants, organizations such as the United Way, and contributions from corporations and individual donors.  Others help by providing transportation for the families in the program, conducting book or diaper drives and assisting at the parent workshops.