In an effort to provide new or expecting parents with child care development information and parenting support, Camp Pendleton’s Marine Corps Community Services has adopted the Parents as Teachers Heroes at Home program (PTHH).

The Department of Defense developed the program in 2006 as a pilot project, which served four installations. Since then, PTHH has grown into a contract-based program that serves more than 700 families and 900 children across 35 U.S. military establishments, according to the program’s Web site.

"It’s important to understand that, to a child, a parent is naturally the first teacher they can look up to for guidance," said Sarah Nelson, parent educator, PTHH. "Our goal is to provide parents with the wisdom to guide their children in the right direction so that (children) may reach their full potential in school and at home."

Participants of the program receive four services, which include Advertisement

[ Chatton and Associates ] development screenings, monthly parent meetings, home visits and research networking.

Through the development screening, special counselors, known as parent educators, assess a child’s development to include their overall health. During the process, participants partake in group sessions, where parents meet and share their child-raising experiences and ideas.

A counselor meets with individual families at their home as part of the monthly parent meeting, where child development issues and parenting concerns can be addressed.

Research networking allows the educators to link parents to other community services if families have a need that falls outside the parameters of the program.

"Parents as Teachers Heroes at Home is something all military families should really look into," said Megan Raphael, parent educator, PTHH. "Plus, this program is free to military families."

For more information about Parents as Teacher Heroes at Home, e-mail parent educator Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@ParentsAsTeachers.org, or call (760) 846-3838.