Shawnee Mission Parents as Teachers

Welcome 2021-2022 School Year

The Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) & Parents as Teachers would like to welcome families to the 2021-22 school year. As we continue to make the health and safety of our families utmost priority, we will continue to do home visits. The Shawnee Mission School District Board of Education wants to keep schools open with safety continuing to be a top priority in the SMSD 2021-22 school year.

Personal Home Visits

Parents as Teachers is an evidence-based home visiting program designed to support all parents as their child's best first teacher. Home visits are available to families living in the Shawnee Mission School District.

Home visits will continue to take place. All adults and children age 2 and older will wear masks during the visit. We will continue to offer remote and outdoor options for families (at the family’s request) who may not be ready for an in-home visit (i.e. pre-natal, newborn, other health concerns, etc.). Health mitigation update as follows:

Parent Educators will continue to wear mask
Parent Educators will not take materials into the home
Appropriate social distancing will be maintained
All adults and children age 2 and older will wear masks during home visits
PAT will continue to offer remote and outdoor options for families who may not be ready for an in-home visit.

Play Center

The Shawnee Mission PAT Play Center is for all parents and children age's birth to 3 years residing in the Shawnee Mission School District and enrolled in the Shawnee Mission PAT Program. The play center serves families by providing a location where focus on play with their child occurs. The play center is furnished with age-appropriate experiences for gross motor, fine motor, intellectual and language opportunities.

The SM Parents as Teachers program will continue our Play Center schedule. For the 2021-2022 school year the Play Center will be scheduled on Fridays and by reservation only. All adults in attendance and children age 2 and older will wear masks while inside the building.

To keep within the district's mitigation plan, families will need to register. We are working to offer as many supports and experiences for our families as we can in accordance with the district's mitigation plan. We are excited to see families playing, bonding, and meeting other PAT families.

Sign up and enjoy playing with your children and meeting other families who are enrolled in PAT. We have put forth a schedule that follows the District's mitigation plan for continued small group sessions. This is how we can make it work:

Early Childhood Education PAT Play Center
Address: 6701 W. 83rd Street O.P., KS 66204, Room 128
Friday session only (note there are specific Friday dates)
Limited attendance to 10 families (please limit to one adult per family)
Families will need to register, see below.
If you are not able to attend, please delete your name or let us know prior to the session so we can fill the spot with another family
Time frame for each session: 9 - 9:45; 10 - 10:45; & 11 - 11:45
15-minute cleaning between sessions
Enter through Door 1 at the Early Childhood Education Center
Parent Educators will be in attendance at each session and will greet you as you arrive
To register, click SignUpGenius

Group Connections

Group connections are programs designed to increase parents' knowledge of their child's emerging development and improve parenting capacity, parenting practices and the parent-child relationship while also connecting with other families.

Group connection activities will be held in-person outdoors or virtually. In-person indoor activities will be considered and scheduled on a case by case basis to determine feasibility. Any indoor activity will adhere to the district’s plan. The 2021-22 Group Connection Calendar will be released soon with times and locations. Here is a list of Group Connections Events we will offer in 2021-22:

PTA Learn n’ Play

Infant Massage/Yoga

PTA Touch a Truck

Fall Scavenger Hunt

Toilet Learning Class

PTA Movin’ & Groovin’

PAT Discipline Class

PTA Holiday Workshop

Saturday Play Center w/mini BLOCK Fest

PTA Little Gym

Sleep Behavior Class

Saturday Play Center w/mini BLOCK Fest

Feeling the Feelings

PTA Messy Morning

Mindful Yoga

Saturday Play Center w/mini BLOCK Fest

Self-Regulation

Empower Your Child

PTA Explore w/Animals

Taste of Toddlerhood/Nutrition

Parent & Baby Sign (2-week class)

Toilet Learning Class

PTA Walk n’ Read

Tough Topics

PTA Emergency Vehicles Touch-a Truck

Transition to Pre-school/SMSD

Sleep Behavior Class

Child Screenings

Shawnee Mission Parents as Teachers provides early detection of developmental delays and health issues. Screening tools assess general development, social-emotional development, hearing and vision. SM PAT is committed to providing family support and education to families through the early years of your child's life!

Define ASQ - The parent-completed Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ®-3) is the easiest, most accurate, and most cost-effective way to pinpoint delays early and celebrate children's milestones. ASQ-3 screens children between one month and 5½ years, without any gaps between the questionnaire age intervals.

During your regular home visits or upon parent request, parents can complete the screener through our online ASQ (Ages & Stages Questionnaires) tool. The ASQ relies on parents' knowledge of their child's skills, it is easy to administer, family-friendly, and highlights any strengths or concerns parents may have about their child.

Parents are their child's first and most influential teacher. Take this opportunity to learn more about your child's gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social skills. Please reach out to your parent educator to receive family access to the ASQ Online screening tool.

Limited Time Offer: SMSD PTA Discounted 2021-22 Membership

The SMSD Parents as Teachers PTA is gearing up for a year full of exciting events for families and children birth to 5! This year's events include a Play Center Kick-Off, Touch-A-Truck, Little Gym and more!

For a limited time we are offering the 2021-2022 (September-May) Membership for only $18!! Sign up today at https://smsd-pta.square.site/, spread the word, and stay tuned for this year's first event information!

Caregiver Workshop Series

Whether it's getting them to eat their vegetables or understanding what's going on inside their heads, being a caregiver of littles can be challenging. Each month's caregiver workshop explores a different topic to support and enrich relationships between kids age birth to 6 and their caregivers. For more information and to register for these events, click on Johnson County Library link below.

Johnson County Library