This document presents the results from a multi-site evaluation of the Parents as Teacher's program aimed at addressing a lack of evidence regarding the program's effectiveness in general, and with low-income families in particular.
This evaluation report describes an experimental design that sought to provide needed evidence regarding the effectiveness of the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program's effectiveness, especially with low-income families. An experimental design was employed for the evaluation, where families in each community were randomly assigned to either a participant group or control group; the participant group families were offered monthly home visits and other PAT services for as long as they chose to remain in the program, and the control group families received only the services that were normally available in their communities which they sought on their own initiative. The researchers addressed evaluation questions related to the following outcome topics: enrollment; attrition; services provided; parent outcomes; child outcomes; and effects of program variations. Findings demonstrated a pattern of positive effects from PAT, however most effects were small. Findings also suggested that PAT may be as effective for the lowest-income families as it is for moderate incomes.