SAN ANTONIO – With looming economic uncertainty, many parents are struggling.
“I’m trying my best,” said a San Antonio mom who asked to remain anonymous. “At one point, I believe I was working three jobs. Three jobs, five kids. It’s a lot. It’s a lot.”
However, the woman felt the need to speak about a nationwide program she said saved her family and could save others: the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program.
The local program is run by SJRC Texas, a foster and community organization that originated in Bulverde, Texas.
“It’s an in-home parenting support program where families are connected one-on-one with their own parent educator who comes into the house and does individualized services within,” said SJRC Texas Chief Impact Officer Jaci Gonzales.
Gonzales said PAT focuses on child development and preparing young children for school.
“We do regular developmental screens with our children,” Gonzales said. “And so, we’re looking at their motor skills, their language skills, their social-emotional skills to make sure they’re on track, and then if it’s not, we are identifying ways we can correct it.”
Those families are then connected to other free services, which include:
- Pediatric clinics
- Mental health support
- Parenting classes
- Fatherhood initiatives
- Help with food and gas costs
- Community events
Gonzales said for the in-person PAT program, families must have kindergarten-aged children, younger children or are expecting.
However, any family in the community can access the resources listed above.
“They have events for kids to go to,” the mother told KSAT. “They have events for moms with strollers and exercising and education and not just for the younger kids but the older kids, as well.”
She said the community focus has helped her kids find freedom and lower stress.
“Finances are a struggle, and I get passes to museums and passes to ride trains with them,” she said. “They give me gas cards to get to those places and have fun with them and give them the break they need.”
The number of clients has spiked in recent years.
“Currently, we have close to 200 families enrolled in our PAT programs, but over the course of the last year, we have provided family support services to well over 1,000 families,” Gonzales said.
With the growth, the PAT programs went from two-parent educators a few years ago to 20. Those educators cover 27 counties.
“The workers are so educated and kind, and they feel like a friend,” the mother said. “I have support around me to where it’s not as lonely as it would be for a single mom.”
Families can call the SJRC Family Resource Center at 830-629-0659 for more information.
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