Parents as Teachers Illinois State Office

Nurturing Resilience: A Real Self-Care Book Study
2025-07-28 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Series Overview: This technical assistance (TA) series is designed to guide participants through an exploration of self-care practices, using Real Self-Care as a foundation for discussion and reflection. Through interactive sessions, participants will gain insights into redefining self-care, setting meaningful boundaries, and cultivating self-compassion in their personal and professional lives.

Structure: The series will be conducted over multiple sessions, each focusing on key themes from the book. Sessions will include guided discussions, personal reflection activities, and actionable goal-setting to encourage lasting change.

Objectives:

Provide a reflective space to examine self-care practices.

Discuss the book Real Self Care by Dr. Pooja Lakshmin.

Set personal intentions around setting boundaries and self-compassion.

Who Should Participate: This series is open to home visiting professionals, program staff, and leadership seeking to enhance their self-care practices and promote a healthier work-life balance.

Expected Outcomes: By the end of the series, participants will have a deeper understanding of what real self-care entails, along with practical tools to implement meaningful change in their personal and professional lives. They will leave with a personalized self-care plan that prioritizes boundaries and self-compassion.

For more information on this book, here is an interview with the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVByk41dha8

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Virtual Foundational Training
2025-08-11 10:00 - 2025-08-19 12:00, 2025-09-15 10:00 - 2025-09-23 12:00, 2025-10-27 10:00 - 2025-11-04 12:00, 2025-12-01 10:00 - 2025-12-09 12:00, 2026-01-26 10:00 - 2026-02-03 12:00
This robust digital parenting curriculum organizes all the materials needed to provide visits to families whose children are prenatal to three years old. Visit plans, professional resources, activity pages, and parent handouts are available in English and Spanish. Some parent-facing materials are alsoavailable in additional languages. The accompanying 30-hour virtual certification training prepares home visiting professionals to use the Foundational Curriculum in service delivery, and to understand their roleswithin the Parents as Teachers approach. Learners can expect a combination of self-paced online modules and live, online sessions.

Virtual Foundational and Model Implementation Training
2025-08-11 10:00 - 2025-08-22 12:00, 2025-09-15 10:00 - 2025-09-26 12:00, 2025-10-27 10:00 - 2025-11-07 12:00, 2025-12-01 10:00 - 2025-12-12 12:00
This 40-hour certification training is designed for Parents as Teachers affiliate staff who will implement the Parents as Teachers evidence-based model to support families whose children are prenatal to three years of age. In addition to the Foundational Training content and access to the Foundational Curriculum, this course offers implementation strategies and resources to effectively deliver quality Parents as Teachers services. Learners can expect a combination of self-paced online modules and live, online sessions Successful completion results in PAT model certification.

New Supervisor Bootcamp
2025-09-03 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-10-01 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-11-05 10:00 - 11:00, 2025-12-03 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-01-07 10:00 - 11:00
Are you supervising a Parents as Teachers Affiliate program? Would you like to better understand requirements and best practices using the PAT home visiting model? Would you like a safe space to ask your questions and get support from others in a similar role?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, please consider joining the New PAT Supervisor Bootcamp. The group will meet the first Wednesday of each month from September through June. You are welcome to attend as many sessions as your schedule allows.

When – First Wednesday of the month:

September 3

October 1

November 5

December 3

January 7

February 4

No March session~ Spring Break

April 1

May 6

June 3

Questions? Please reach out to Teresa Duffey-Jimenez: tduffey@startearly.org or your TA!

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Using the Illinois Early Learning Guidelines to Support Visit Planning and Documentation
2025-09-24 09:30 - 11:30, 2025-12-04 09:00 - 11:00
The session will guide participants in effectively integrating the Illinois Early Learning Guidelines (IELG) into their home visit planning and documentation. Attendees will learn how to utilize the IELG to enhance Parent-Child Interactions and deepen Child Development Conversations, ensuring that visits are aligned with developmental goals. The session will also introduce strategies for using the IELG to promote meaningful and rich interactions between parents and their children, helping to foster stronger connections and developmental outcomes. By the end of the session, participants will have practical tools for incorporating the IELG into their visit planning and documentation to better support families.

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Policies and Procedures Workgroup
2025-10-01 09:00 - 10:00, 2025-10-08 09:00 - 10:00, 2025-10-15 09:00 - 10:00
The PAT IL State Office is offering a group Technical Assistance (TA) series focused on Policies and Procedures, a key component of meeting and maintaining quality standards. This flexible series is designed so staff can attend any of the scheduled dates that best fit their availability. Each session will provide guidance on the importance of clear, aligned policies and procedures, highlight resources to support development and refinement, and include interactive opportunities to workshop and strengthen your program’s existing materials.

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Effectively Gathering & Using PAT Record Data
2025-10-17 09:00 - 10:00
This session is about more than checking a box—we’ll look at how data can truly inform and strengthen practice. Together, we’ll revisit the PAT approach to data collection, explore the purpose of PAT records, and consider how the information we gather can be used meaningfully to support families.

Objectives:

.Gain an understanding of the importance of data-driven practice.

Revisit the PAT approach to data collection.

Explore the purpose of PAT records and how the information gathered can be used to support families.

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Virtual Foundations of Center-Based Family Engagement Training
2025-10-23 10:00 - 2025-10-31 12:00
This training will span two weeks. The live zoom classes will occur October 23, 24, 30, and 31st. In this 30-hour training, participants connect the PAT Approach with the building blocks of engagement to enhance how they are working with families to meet both child and family outcomes. The course includes access to a robust parenting curriculum and an overview of how to navigate it, including highlighting key resources that are essential to addressing common developmental and family-well-being topics that center-based professionals discuss with parents.

Incorporating Literacy into Personal Visits
2025-11-10 10:00 - 11:00
In this session, we’ll explore how to extend Parent-Child Interaction through meaningful literacy activities. We’ll discuss why early literacy matters, how incorporating it supports model fidelity, and share practical resources and ideas to bring literacy into every personal visit.

Objectives:

Understand the importance of early literacy in supporting child development.

Learn how incorporating literacy activities strengthens PCI and supports model fidelity.

Discover practical resources and strategies to integrate literacy into personal visits.

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Parents as Teacher F2 (3-Kindergarten) Overview
2025-11-14 09:00 - 10:30
This session will introduce the Parents as Teachers (PAT) Foundational 2 Curriculum, designed to support work with families of children ages 3–6. Participants will explore the similarities and differences between the Foundational Curriculum and Foundational 2, with a focus on the PAT approach, curriculum structure, and practical tools for effective visits. Together, we will examine strategies for integrating the Foundational Visit Plans, and/or Personal Visit Planning Guide into practice. Additional emphasis will be placed on new and expanded content in Foundational 2, including child development strands for ages 3–6, Spanish handouts and activity pages, fillable forms, embedded videos, and tools such as the Parenting Behaviors Hub. Participants will also consider methods for elevating the child’s perspective and supporting families with multiple-aged children.

Objectives:By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Compare and contrast the PAT Foundational and Foundational 2 Curricula, identifying key similarities and expanded focus areas in Foundational 2.

Apply the tools and resources within the Foundational 2 Curriculum—including visit plans, planning guides, family well-being resources, and embedded multimedia—to strengthen home visiting practices.

Integrate new strategies for addressing child development (ages 3–6), supporting families with multiple-aged children, and engaging parents using the Parenting Behaviors Hub and child perspective approach.

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Enhancing Parent-Child Interactions: Using PICCOLO™ to Support PAT Parenting Behaviors
2025-11-24 10:00 - 11:30
Learn how the PICCOLO™ tool aligns with Parents as Teachers (PAT) parenting behaviors to enhance your work with families. This session will provide insights into observing and supporting positive parent-child interactions, helping you strengthen families’ engagement and improve program outcomes by focusing on key parenting behaviors identified by PA

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Beyond the Fear: Parenting Through Immigration Uncertainty
2025-12-02 09:00 - 11:00
Join us for Beyond the Fear: Parenting through Immigration Uncertainty, a group Technical Assistance session focused on supporting families navigating the stress and fear surrounding deportation. Together, we’ll explore how these fears can manifest in young children—affecting their emotional well-being, development, and sense of safety—and discuss meaningful ways caregivers can help buffer these impacts. Participants will consider strategies to support families with empathy and awareness, while recognizing that the perceived threats they face are very real.

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Virtual Foundations of Center-Based Family Engagement Training
2025-12-03 10:00 - 2025-12-11 12:00
This training will span two weeks. The live zoom classes will occur December 3, 4, 10, and 11th. In this 30-hour training, participants connect the PAT Approach with the building blocks of engagement to enhance how they are working with families to meet both child and family outcomes. The course includes access to a robust parenting curriculum and an overview of how to navigate it, including highlighting key resources that are essential to addressing common developmental and family-well-being topics that center-based professionals discuss with parents.

Virtual Foundational 2
2025-12-08 10:00 - 2025-12-12 12:00
Built upon the prenatal to three years curriculum, this digital parenting curriculum organizes all the materials needed to provide visits to families whose children are three to six years of age. Professional resources are available in English with activity pages and parent handouts in both English and Spanish. The accompanying 16-hour certification training is designed to prepare parent educators and other home visiting professionals for using the Foundational 2 Curriculum in services to families whose children are between three to six years of age. Learners can expect a combination of self-paced online modules and live, online sessions.

Safety Considerations and Home Visiting
2026-01-15 09:30 - 10:30
This session provides a foundational understanding of what it means to stay safe while supporting families in their homes and communities. Participants will examine why home visitor safety is essential to effective and ethical practice, explore the various types of safety considerations that arise in the field, and learn to identify common risk factors that may emerge during visits.

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More than a Checklist: Deepening Relationships Through Screening
2026-01-23 09:30 - 11:00
Explore how conversations can transform screenings from a task to a relationship-building experience that strengthens trust and partnership. Participants will learn how to use screening discussions to deepen family understanding of their child’s development and to enrich the connection between parent, child, and home visitor.

Objectives:

Introduce the purpose and process of developmental screening in a way that honors parents as experts on their child and centers what they see, value, and hope for in their child’s development.

Explore how to share screening data through curious, relationship-building conversations that deepen family understanding, strengthen the home visitor family partnership, and support parents’ connection to their child’s development.

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