Creston, Iowa — Southwestern Community College’s (SWCC) Parents as Teachers (PAT) program is expanding its reach to include Ringgold County beginning July 1, 2025. This addition marks the fifth county served by SWCC’s PAT program, which currently supports families in Adair, Adams, Taylor, and Union counties.
The mission of the PAT program is to support, educate, empower, and inspire families and early childhood education professionals to foster success in young children. This mission aligns closely with the long-standing efforts in Ringgold County, where Parents as Teachers has supported families since 1999 through home-based visits, developmental screenings, and group connection activities.
Kristie Nixon, SWCC early childhood education program director, shared that her team has been working closely with Ringgold County Public Health—who previously managed the PAT program—to ensure a smooth transition for local families.
“We are thrilled to be able to continue to serve families prenatal through age five in Ringgold County,” said Nixon. “The Ringgold County Board of Health felt strongly that home visiting services should continue, and we are honored to carry that forward.”
Becky Fletchall, RN, BSN, and nurse administrator of Ringgold County Public Health, explained several factors influenced their decision to transition services to SWCC.
“The priority of assuring families would continue to receive these important services, potential funding cuts, staff changes, increased administrative requirements, threats of regionalization, and training costs were weighed in the decision to ask SWCC to expand their programming to cover Ringgold County.”
SWCC is currently recruiting for a new PAT educator to serve Ringgold County. This full-time position will primarily be based at the Ringgold County Public Health facility in Mount Ayr, with one day per week spent at SWCC’s Creston campus as part of a collaborative sharing agreement.
SWCC’s PAT program, which includes three educators and one director, has been recognized for its high-quality services and was named a Blue-Ribbon Affiliate by the National Parents as Teachers Center.