A study examining the impact of ECFE on children was completed in 1991. A 1992 study examined the program's effects on parent participants in 24 ECFE programs. The Parents as Teachers home visiting program began as a pilot project in 1981 and became mandatory for all Missouri school districts in 1984. Basic funding is appropriated by the Missouri General Assembly, with additional funding from local school districts. The purpose of the program is to enhance child development and school performance through parent education and preschool developmental screening.
Services are available to all families with children under the age of three years.
At most sites, home visitors are professionals with bachelor's degrees, but some programs employ paraprofessionals. Some sites offer toy, book, and video resource centers, or drop-in and play sessions for parents and children. More than 1,650 PAT programs currently operate in 43 states, Washington, D.C., and four foreign countries. The PAT National Center has conducted two evaluations of the program in Missouri. As part of a two-year project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Family Resource Coalition is currently surveying states with statewide family support initiatives.