Welcome New Affiliates to the Parents as Teachers Illinois Family!
We’re thrilled to welcome our newest Parents as Teachers affiliates to the Illinois network! In their own words, program supervisors share how their teams are serving families and what joining the PAT family means for their work. Their dedication and vision are inspiring — please join us in celebrating these new additions to our PAT community.
Stronger Beginnings for Families Becomes a Parents as Teachers Affiliate
By Sherri O’Toole, Program Supervisor
We’re excited to announce that Stronger Beginnings for Families, a long-standing program of Brightpoint, officially became a Parents as Teachers (PAT) affiliate in June 2025! While the program has been serving families since 2004, this marks its first year operating under the nationally recognized, evidence-based PAT model.
This milestone reflects Stronger Beginnings for Families’ deep commitment to supporting expectant parents and families with young children across Madison, Monroe, Randolph, and St. Clair Counties in Illinois. As a PAT affiliate, the program will enhance its ability to deliver high-quality home visiting services that foster early childhood development, strengthen parenting skills, and promote overall family well-being.
Joining the PAT network also allows Stronger Beginnings for Families to align its curriculum and practices with Brightpoint’s statewide home visiting programs. This alignment will streamline data collection and strengthen our ability to measure outcomes and drive continuous improvement across Illinois.
We’re proud to be part of the Parents as Teachers family — and excited for the stronger beginnings ahead!
First Steps
By Marci Gutierrez, Program Supervisor
First Steps is an Illinois State Board of Education grant-funded program serving families with children ages 0–3, awarded to Hillsboro District #3 since 1993. The program has four home visitors who provide interactive parent-child activities, age-appropriate child development information, parent and child library resources, connections to community support agencies, and one-on-one parent consultation, both in the home and at our center-based resource room.
Parents may participate in a variety of levels of service. Some families may take part in all of the following activities, while others may choose the services that best fit their needs:
- Center-Based Parent and Child Interactive Playgroups
- Parenting Library Materials
- Newsletters and Monthly Child Development Information
- Parent Workshops and Discussion Groups
- Weekly Home Visits
- Teen Parenting Classes
We’re so excited to welcome Stronger Beginnings for Families and First Steps to the PAT Illinois network! Their passion and dedication strengthen our collective impact and help ensure that families across the state have the resources and support they need to thrive.