ASU-Mid-South student organizations, faculty, and administrators team up for Easter

Home Visiting Services Easter Egg Hunt a success thanks to cooperation

Home Visiting Services Coordinator The Home Visiting Services Program sponsored an Easter Egg Hunt at ASU Mid-South on April 8, and the faculty, staff and student organizations at the college joined in to help prepare for the event. The Home Visiting Services team sponsors monthly meeting for its participant families. Each month has a theme and consists of helpful information sharing along with a little bit of fun in the form development- centered activities and parent- child interaction.

Student volunteers also assisted with serving the food generously donated and prepared by 1st Baptist Church of Marion.

The team refused to allow the weather to cancel their plans. Even indoors, the egg hunt was a huge success.

Home Visiting Services are free services to eligible families beginning at the prenatal stage and following the family until the child turns 3 years old. The program offers support to families while focusing on parent-child interaction, development-centered activities, and family well-being.

The Parents as Teachers (PAT) home visiting model provides support to families in the first years of their child’s life by using researched-based activities and information delivered to parents by a trained parent educator. During the first years of a child’s life, their parents are their most influential teachers.

PAT works with families to provide the information, support and encouragement parents need to help their child as they learn and grow.

The primary goals of the program include:

• Increase parent knowledge of early childhood development and improve parent practices.

• Provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues.

• Prevent child abuse and neglect.

• Increase children’s school readiness and success.

Eligibility criteria includes: • 250% of Poverty level or less

• Title I Eligible

• Parent under 18 • Single Parent

• Low Education Attainment of Parent (parent did not complete high school)

• Incarcerated Parent or Court Appointed Guardians

• Disability Caregiver or Child

• Chronic Illness Caregiver or Child

• Substance Abuse History

• Suspected or History Abuse or Neglect

• Low Birth Weight

• Transient/Homeless

• Parent Military Duty Overseas

• Death in Immediate Family For more information about the PAT home visiting model contact Brandy Ivy, Home Visiting Services Coordinator at 870733 6027 or email bivy@asumidsouth.edu.