The Wood County Health Department (WCHD) received funding to implement Parents as Teachers (PAT), a comprehensive, evidence-based home visiting model to increase parent knowledge, provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues, prevent child abuse and neglect and increase school readiness and success.
In its first full year of implementation, the PAT program in Wood County conducted over 360 home visits, retained nearly 70% of enrolled families, held 11 group events, and met all but one of the essential PAT requirements. Strategic changes based on community feedback, including improved referral processes and collaborative planning for group sessions, further strengthened the program’s effectiveness. This initiative has laid a strong foundation for sustainable, long-term impact by embedding the PAT model into the county’s broader maternal and child health services. Families now have increased access to culturally responsive, developmentally focused support, and the community is better equipped to foster safe, nurturing environments where children can thrive.
The Challenge
The Wood County Health Department (WCHD) has offered free, voluntary family home visiting services for pregnant women, infants and children for decades. However, the model in use was not evidence-based and staffing levels were insufficient to meet the needs of families across the county. To strengthen service delivery and improve outcomes, WCHD sought to implement Parents as Teachers (PAT), an evidence-based home visiting program proven effective across diverse populations and settings. The Healthy People Wood County Brighter Futures Team, an established coalition of organizations dedicated to supporting children and families, conducted a comprehensive review of available models and identified PAT as the best fit for the community. Revitalizing the Brighter Futures Team was seen as a critical step toward enabling the coalition to serve as an advisory committee for the PAT program and guide its successful implementation in Wood County.
Project Goals
Parents as Teachers (PAT) is an evidence-based and comprehensive home-visiting parent education model that supports families from the pre-natal period through kindergarten entry. Through implementation of PAT in Wood County, the project aimed to achieve the following goals:
Increase parent knowledge of early childhood development and promote positive parenting practices.
Support early identification of developmental delays and health concerns through regular screening and parent education.
Prevent child abuse and neglect by strengthening family relationships and protective factors.
Enhance school readiness and long-term success for young children.
Results
With support from the Wisconsin Partnership Program (WPP), the Wood County Health Department (WCHD) successfully became an affiliate of the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program. In addition, a full-time community health worker was hired as a parent educator to deliver evidence-based home visiting services to families in the community. The department also introduced strategic improvements based on participant feedback, including a more collaborative approach to organizing group events and refining referral criteria to better prioritize families with the greatest needs.
Over the course of the grant period, the department achieved or exceeded nearly all project milestones. From July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, a total of 361 home visits were conducted, each incorporating the core components of the PAT model: family well-being, parent-child interaction, and development-centered parenting. Participation in group connections grew steadily, with 11 events held in 2024 and a minimum of four families attending each session. These gatherings offered meaningful opportunities for peer support and shared learning. The program also demonstrated strong engagement, retaining nearly 70% of enrolled families during the 2023–2024 reporting year. Impressively, it met all but one of the essential PAT affiliate requirements in its first full year of implementation. In addition, staff completed training in ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 developmental screening tools, and the PAT program was actively promoted throughout the community via events and partner collaborations.
Lasting Impact
The implementation of the PAT model in Wood County has laid the foundation for long-term improvements in maternal and child health. Through WPP’s support, the department established a sustainable position for a community health worker who will continue delivering home visits beyond the grant period. The project also fostered stronger cross-sector collaboration by integrating the PAT advisory committee with the existing Early Years coalition, increasing community engagement and streamlining efforts.
Parents now have greater access to developmental screenings, peer connections and early childhood education resources. The program’s success in its first year demonstrates its potential for ongoing growth and impact, especially as the department continues to build staff capacity and integrate the PAT model into its broader maternal and child health services. By equipping families with knowledge, tools and consistent support, this project is strengthening family resilience and school readiness across Wood County.
