TEXAS&PARENTS&AS&TEACHERS&

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Texas&Parents&
as#Teachers#
eNews!
!

Winter!2014!

IN!THIS!ISSUE!

Texas&Roll&&&Read&
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Sites!across!Texas!hosted!Roll!&!Read!events!
th
st!
on!September!20 !and!21 as!part!of!the!
th
national!initiative!to!celebrate!the!30 !
anniversary!of!the!Parents!
as!Teachers!program!
model.!!Parents!and!
community!members!
were!invited!to!bring!their!
children!and!walk,&stroll,&or&
roll&their!way!to!booths!
hosting!various!activities,!
including!reading!and!
book!giveaways.!Each!
Parents!as!Teachers!site!
was!encouraged!to!find!
community!partners!and!
add!their!own!flair!to!the!
event.!!Precious!MindsL!
New!Connections!
McKenna!in!New!
Braunfels!partnered!with!
the!city!parks!department!
and!libraries,!with!hands!
on!activities,!in!addition!to!
reading!stops.!!

Parents!as!Teachers!National!Office!to!
increase!awareness!of!the!PAT!program!
model.!
Included!are!some!photos!from!
McKenna!and!Schulenbergs!
Roll!&!Read!events.!In!McKenna!
children!received!free!tLshirts!
and!the!library!donated!books!
for!families.!The!partnerships!
with!the!city!parks!and!library!
helped!make!this!event!a!
success.!!

Hopefully!this!event!will!
continue!to!grow!and!become!a!
regular!community!gathering!
across!the!state!of!Texas,!and!
nationally.!To!help!sites!plan!for!
this!type!of!event!National!
provided!packets!with!
information!on!recruiting!
supporting!organizations,!
contacting!media,!and!
organizing!the!event.!Next!year!
Books&for&all&ages&were&donated&at&
the!Texas!state!office!wants!to!
McKennas&Roll&&&Read&event&making&it&
work!more!to!support!sites!
possible&for&children&to&take&home&a&new&
These!events!were!part!of!
book.&
hosting!Roll!&!Read!events,!
an!effort!to!increase!
sharing!the!successes!and!
community!awareness!of!the!importance!of!
lessons!learned!at!this!years!Roll!&!Read!
reading!and!healthy!living.!The!Roll!&!Read!
events.!!
event!is!part!of!a!larger!effort!encouraged!by!

!
!

Thinking!Outside!the!Box!
th

This!year!marked!the!30 !anniversary!of!the!Parents!as!
Teachers!program,!making!the!2014!conference!a!
unique!and!special!event.!Texas!was!well!represented!at!
the!conference!with!numerous!trainers,!parent!
educators,!and!state!office!staff!in!attendance.!

Page!2!

Mary!Ellen!Nudd!Retires!

In!over!40!years!of!service!at!Mental!Health!America!of!
Texas,!Mary!Ellen!has!been!a!key!figure!in!the!mental!
health!community!and!one!of!the!individuals!who!
brought!Parents!as!Teachers!to!Texas!in!the!early!1980s.!!

Page!4!

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CONFERENCE!HIGHLIGHTS!

Thinking&Outside&the&Box&
This%years%Parents%as%Teachers%National%Conference%in%St.%Louis%was%eventful%and%
marked%the%30th%anniversary%of%PAT.%
Texas!Parents!as!Teachers!was!well!
represented!at!the!National!Parents!as!
Teachers!conference!in!St.!Louis,!with!
numerous!site!leaders,!staff,!and!the!state!
office!in!attendance.!This!years!conference!
th
marked!the!30 !anniversary!of!PAT!and!was!
themed!Thinking!Outside!the!Box.!Over!40!
US!states!and!various!nations!were!
represented,!including!Germany,!
Switzerland,!and!the!United!Kingdom.!!
Some!of!the!highlights!from!the!conference!
included!three!keynote!speakers!who!
stressed!the!importance!of!the!work!being!
done!by!parent!educators!to!over!one!
thousand!attendees,!and!numerous!
informative!sessions.!!

The!Speakers!

Dr.!Willis,!Director!of!the!Department!of!
Home!Visiting!and!Early!Childhood!Systems!
at!the!U.S.!Health!Resources!and!Services!
Administration!and!one!of!the!keynote!
speakers,!provided!attendees!with!some!
inspirational!words!on!the!state!of!home!
visiting.!In!his!hourLlong!presentation!he!
made!the!case!that!this!was!the!era!of!home!
visiting.!!
The&science&is&behind&us.&The&right&people&are&
working&for&us.&This&work&is&relevant,&and&the&
right&people&are&talking&about&us.!!
Willis!highlighted!the!science!behind!child!
development!and!the!importance!of!
parenting.!Science!shows!that!a!childs!
health!and!development!during!those!early!
periods!is!key!to!longLterm!health.!Parents,!
Willis!argued,!are!essential!to!providing!and!
building!on!the!early!developments!children!
experience,!which!is!why!Parents!as!Teachers!
has!been!such!a!success!and!remains!so!
relevant.!!
Despite!his!high!praise!of!PAT,!Dr.!Willis!
emphasized!that!the!work!was!not!over;!that!
sites!and!state!leaders!had!to!continue!
spreading!the!word!about!Parents!as!
Teachers!to!state!and!local!lawmakers,!using!
stories!and!the!research.!Dr.!Willis,!along!
with!the!other!keynote!speakers,!gave!
attendees!the!numbers!and!inspiration!to!be!
advocates!for!the!Parents!as!Teachers!
model.!!

Dr.!Craig!Ramey!and!Dr.!Sharon!Ramey,!two!
of!the!premier!scholars!on!child!development!
and!early!intervention,!presented!attendees!
with!the!data!to!support!the!work!they!do.!
According!to!decades!of!research!by!the!
Rameys!and!other!child!development!
scholars,!the!effects!of!early!intervention!
programs!like!home!visiting!are!positive!and!
long!lasting.!Home!visitation!programs!are!
proven!to!improve!school!performance,!
increase!the!chances!of!college!attendance!
and!completion,!and!raise!lifetime!earnings!
of!children.!The!Rameys!presentation!
provided!the!evidence!to!support!what!
parent!educators!do!on!a!daily!basis,!
encouraging!everyone!to!keep!fighting!the!
good!fight.!!
In!addition!to!inspiring!speakers!and!valuable!
parent!educator!information,!the!national!
conference!hosted!numerous!state!leader!
meetings!for!information!sharing!and!
networking.!One!session!that!especially!
stood!out!to!the!state!office!staff!was!on!
Autism!Spectrum!Disorder!(ASD).!The!Center!
for!Disease!Control!(CDC)!provided!updated!
research!information!regarding!the!disorder!
and!showed!parent!educators!handouts!CDC!
has!created!for!organizations!to!use.!Click!
here!for!a!link!to!the!Autism!Spectrum!
Disorder!site.!!

Next!Year!

PAT!History!

Pictured!above!is!PAT!founding!director,!Mildred!
Winter,!and!current!President/CEO,!Scott!Hippert,!from!
th
the!30 !anniversary!reception!during!the!conference.!
Winter!met!with!award!and!pin!recipients!at!the!
reception.!!

Dr.!Ramey!&!Dr.!Ramey!
Dr.!Sharon!Ramey!and!Dr.!Craig!Ramey,!the!child!
development!research!power!couple,!spoke!to!national!
conference!attendees!about!the!science!behind!home!
visiting.!They!emphasized!the!significant,!longLlasting!
impacts!of!the!work!being!done!by!home!visitors!across!
the!nation.!!

The!Texas!State!Office!learned!about!a!
number!of!opportunities!for!the!Texas!
Parents!as!Teachers!network!and!is!gearing!
up!for!next!years!conference,!which!will!be!
coming!to!Dallas!!Look!forward!to!more!
details!about!2015s!National!Parents!as!
Teacher!Conference!in!Dallas!and!how!you!
can!participate.!

Dr.!Willis,!HRSA!

In!his!work!as!Director!of!the!Department!of!Home!
Visiting!and!Early!Childhood!Systems!at!the!U.S.!Health!
Resources!and!Services!Administration,!Dr.!Willis!has!
championed!the!work!of!home!visiting!programs,!using!
data!to!support!his!theory!that!this!is!the!era!of!home!
visiting.!!
!

All%the%photos%on%this%page%are%from%Parents%as%Teachers%National%
Center,%Inc.%%

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Texas&PAT&Regional&
Trainings&
!
This!years!regional!trainings!proved!to!be!
both!helpful!and!fun!with!trainers!who!
customized!each!training,!bringing!in!guest!
speakers!and!organizations!that!are!relevant!
to!each!community.!The!focus!of!the!
trainings!was!how!to!best!apply!PAT!
requirements!and!standards!to!real!world!
situations!and!new!strategies!for!working!
with!families.!!
Erin!Garner,!the!Austin!regional!trainer,!
brought!in!a!speaker!from!NAMI,!the!
National!Association!for!Mental!Illness,!to!
discuss!mental!health!and!families.!As!part!
of!the!overall!theme!of!the!training,!Erin,!

!
!

and!others,!used!
reality!TV!shows!as!a!
tool!to!help!parent!
educators!discuss!
how!families!in!real!
life!situations!often!
face!difficult!
challenges!and!
factors!for!parent!
educators!to!
consider!to!optimize!
the!effectiveness!of!home!visits.!Parent!
educators!were!encouraged!to!share!tough!
experiences!and!methods!for!approaching!
visits!that!do!not!go!as!planned.!!
In!McAllen,!the!regional!trainer,!Roschel!
Servantes,!brought!in!a!presenter!from!211!
to!discuss!the!types!of!resources!available!
throughout!the!community.!Since!Easter!
Seals!was!the!only!site!at!the!regional!
training!in!McAllen!all!of!the!information!
was!very!site!specific,!which!benefited!the!
15!plus!new!parent!educators.!
Texas!Parents!as!Teachers!State!Office!staff!
members!also!attended!trainings!across!the!

state,!providing!national!and!state!Parents!
as!Teachers!updates!as!well!as!advocacy!
efforts!or!home!visiting!happening!at!the!
Texas!Capitol.!For!the!upcoming!year,!the!
state!office!will!focus!on!assisting!sites!with!
a!number!of!key!essential!requirements!and!
ensuring!sites!have!access!to!relevant!
trainings.!!
!

TEXAS&PARENTS&AS&TEACHERS&ENEWS&&

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Mary&Ellen&Retires&
Our&very&own&Vice&President&at&Mental&Health&America&of&Texas&
leaves&the&office,&but&not&before&receiving&an&award&for&her&years&
of&service&in&the&mental&health&community.&&

!
Our!Vice!President!of!Mental!Health!
America!of!Texas,!Mary!Ellen,!retired!this!
October!after!42!years!of!service!with!the!
organization.!During!her!years!at!Mental!
Health!America!Mary!Ellen!coordinated!
activities!of!the!Youth!Suicide!Prevention!
Project!and!the!Invisible!Childrens!Project!
Coalition.!Her!work!in!schools!has!helped!
teachers!and!staff!identify!and!work!with!
children!and!adults!atLrisk!of!suicide.!She!
serves!on!numerous!coalitions!and!
committees!focused!on!mental!health!and!
parenting!education!and!has!provided!
trainings!for!the!U.S.!Department!of!
Education!and!for!AmeriCorps.!Mary!Ellen!
has!distributed!over!1!million!suicide!
prevention!and!postvention!toolkits!and!
helped!in!the!development!of!the!first!
suicide!prevention!smart!phone!app!in!the!
world.!
This!November,!Mary!Ellen!received!the!
Stella!Churchill!Mullins!Champion!for!
Children!Mental!Health!Award!for!her!work!
helping!Texas!progress!in!the!provision!of!
mental!health!services!for!children.!!

Mary%Ellen%(pictured%with%Holly%Mullins%Vinella,%Stellas%daughter)%receiving%the%Stella%
Churchill%Mullins%Champion%for%Childrens%Mental%Health%Award.%%

Mary!Ellen!also!supported!the!Parents!as!
Teachers!initiative!and!was!integral!to!the!
expansion!of!local!sites!in!Texas!back!in!
1980s.!Mary!Ellen!has!been!an!amazing!
asset!to!Mental!Health!America!and!to!the!
state!of!Texas!in!her!tireless!work!to!bring!
mental!health!to!the!forefront!of!school!and!
state!policy.!We!wish!her!much!happiness!in!
her!retirement.!!

FUN!FACT!
Mary!Ellen!Nudd!served!in!the!
PeaceCorps!in!the!Fiji!Islands!
from!1969L71,!teaching!
elementary!school!students!
and!writing!educational!
broadcasts!for!radio.!

As!part!of!an!effort!to!share!information!and!knowledge,!the!state!office!will!be!highlighting!information!and!items!focused!on!child!development!and!family!wellLbeing!in!every!newsletter.!These!items!can!include!books,!articles,!websites,!webinars,!etc.!Some!will!be!for!personal!development!and!some!will!be!more!focused!on!professional!development.!We!welcome!suggestions!from!individuals!and!sites.!!

Good&Reads,&Good&Views&
&

As!part!of!an!effort!to!share!information!and!
knowledge,!the!state!office!will!be!
highlighting!information!and!items!focused!
on!child!development!and!family!well!being!
in!every!newsletter.!These!items!can!include!
books,!articles,!websites,!webinars,!etc.!
Some!will!be!for!personal!development!and!
some!will!be!more!focused!on!professional!
development.!We!welcome!suggestions!from!
individuals!and!sites.!!

%
k%focuses%on
ns%latest%boo
Kathryn%Edi he%innerOcity,%
%in%t
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fatherhood
s%and%barrie
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opeful%fath
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The!book!for!this!months!newsletter!is!Doing&
the&Best&I&Can,&Kathryn!Edins!
groundbreaking,!heartLwrenching!novel!on!
young!families!growing!up!in!Chicago.!Edin!
and!her!husband!moved!into!a!neighborhood!
in!urban!Chicago!and!spent!years!
interviewing!over!100!men!about!their!
experiences!as!fathers.!By!giving!them!

voices,!Edin!revealed!that!deadbeat!dads!
were!anything!but,!changing!the!national!
narrative!about!unwed!fathers.!This!book!is!
both!heartbreaking!and!hopeful!and!is!
recommended!for!anyone!working!with!
families.!This!is!a!great!book!club!book!and!
could!open!eyes!to!the!struggles!and!
triumphs!single!fathers!face!raising!their!
st
children!in!the!21 !century.!!
Edin!has!written!a!number!of!other!novels!
focused!on!the!lives!of!innerLcity!parents,!
including!Promises&I&Can&Keep&and!Making&
Ends&Meet.!Doing&the&Best&I&Can&and!her!other!
novels!are!available!on!Edins!website!and!on!
Amazon!at!a!discount.!
!
!

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Resources:&Parent&Caf
Parent!Caf,!designed!by!Strengthening!
Families!Illinois,!is!a!support!process!for!
families.!The!model!is!designed!to!help!
families!build!protective!factors!and!peerLtoL
peer!supports!using!a!model!that!consists!of!
a!theme,!conversation!topics,!commitment!
cards,!and!debriefing.!Strengthening!
Families!Illinois!has!created!both!a!workbook!
and!portable!resource!for!programs!
interested!in!using!the!process!to!support!
families.!The!Parent!Caf!in!a!Box!portable!
resource!contains!question!cards!to!help!lead!
discussions!on!a!variety!of!topics.!!

&

Each!card!focuses!on!the!five!protective!
factors:!
+Resilience!
+Relationships!
+Knowledge!
+Support!
+Communication!
For!each!topic,!questions!are!included!to!
force!individuals!to!think!about!what!they!
have!or!need!in!terms!of!tools!and!resources.!
For!example,!in!Relationships,!a!question!is!
What!kind!of!relationships!make!you!
strong?!!

!These!cards!might!be!a!useful!tool!for!group!
connections,!or!in!work!with!parents!during!
the!family!wellLbeing!portion!of!your!visit.!It!
can!be!difficult!to!start!those!conversations!
or!get!families!to!think!about!the!tool!they!
already!have!in!their!personal!toolkit.!!
The!cards!and!workbook!created!by!
Strengthening!Families!Illinois!is!available!on!
their!website.!Click!here!to!learn!more!about!
this!resource.!!

Upcoming&Trainings&&
Foundational'Training'

Model'Implementation'

1/5L7!!!!!Amarillo!(limited!seating)!

Not&offered&

1/26L28!!!L!!!Dallas!

1/29L30!!L!!!Dallas!

4/20L22!!!L!!!Houston!

4/23L24!!L!!Houston!

7/20L22!!!L!!!Fort!Worth!

7/23L24!!L!!Fort!Worth!

9/14L18!!!L!!Dallas'

9/19L20!!L!!Dallas!

Foundational'2'Training:'Three'Years'Through'Kindergarten'Trainings&&Sites&and&dates&to&be&determined&
2014'Release'of'the'2'Year'Through'Kindergarten'Curriculum'and'Training'
Whats!new?!
Digital'book'format'(like!the!online!Foundational!Curriculum)!with!additional!webLbased!features!and!embedded!videos!
that!support!PEs!knowledge!and!skill!development.!'
Continuation!of!the!Foundational'approach,!including!enriched!and!expanded!resources!to!support!work!in!all!three!areas!
of!emphasis!!parentLchild!interaction,!developmentLcentered!parenting,!and!family!wellLbeing.!'
Attention!to!parent'engagement'in!community!and!schools,!including!building!the!capacity!to!successfully!transition!into!
and!navigate!these!environments.!'
Texas'Parents'as'Teachers'Leadership'Summit,'New'Braunfels,'April'13''14,'2015'
Texas'Trainers'Planning'Meeting,'Dallas,'June'29U30,'2015'
National'Parents'as'Teachers'Conference,'Dallas,'November'9''11,'2015'

Contact'Information'
Mental'Health'
America'of'Texas'
1210!San!Antonio!
Street,!Ste.!200!
Austin,!TX!78701!
(512)!454L3706'

Elaine'Shiver'
Program!Director!
txpat@txpat.org!
(214)!363L8661!

Mayra'Benningfield'
Office!Manager!
txpat@txpat.org!
(214)!363L8661!

Claire'McEnery'
Program!and!Training!
Manager!
claire@mhatexas.org!
(917)!881L7404!

Jennifer'Lucy'
Technical!Assistance!
Manger!
jennifer@mhatexas.org!
(512)!971L9347!

Piper'King'
Program!Specialist!
piper@mhatexas.org!
(512)!569L2651!