Vote with your dollars
a special message from Executive Director Yoidette Erima, MSEd.

I want you to imagine a little boy whose daddy pulls a green tweed blanket over his shoulders and pretends to be the dragon king in a story they’ve just read before bedtime.  Daddy then tucks in the boy with that blanket as he pretends to be the son of the dragon king.  They picked out the book, Sons of the Dragon King, together earlier in the day after attending an Asian percussion music workshop at their local library branch. 

The next morning, father and son visit the Asian American Arts Centre; the music workshop tipped them off to the special exhibit on dragon mythology there.  Thanks to the workshop, Daddy knows that the Department of Education expects his ten year-old boy to be able to describe and compare simple fractions, so when they get home, they experiment with different amounts of water and noodles while they cook their Asian-inspired lunch.  Daddy knows his son learns best when he can touch and manipulate things, like the Chinese drums they played yesterday, so they take extra time measuring out how much of the wet, slippery noodles to serve on each plate. 

Later that evening, Daddy uses this experience to help his son with his math homework assignment on proportions.  Neither of them are math experts but they try their best, together.  When Daddy drops off his son at school the next morning, he arranges a meeting for later in the week with the teacher, during which they will review various methods of reinforcing the lesson on proportions.

What I’ve asked you to imagine is not far-fetched.  In fact, it has been my experience that boys like the one I described excel precisely because he, his teachers, and his school’s administrators will rise to match the level of effort they see from his father.

If I told you the boy attends private school, you may be more likely to believe me since children in private schools, by in large, perform better than their public school counterparts.  You’d be right to think that way.  But that performance isn’t necessarily due to anything the school is doing.  According to a study recently published by the Center on Education Policy, the larger proportion of parents actively contributing to their children’s academic development is what distinguishes private schools from public schools.  As a public school teacher, I’ve seen scores of children excel in difficult school settings and parental involvement was the one common factor.

Our nation’s education status is sinking.  We find ourselves far outpaced by nations we previously led.  Because of this reduced competitiveness, our nation’s economy and our own standard of living face daunting uncertainty.  The children of the New York City public school system – the largest in the nation – need you to invest in them now.  Because of a pattern of poor school performance, about 8 in 10 of our children are labeled part of the school system’s sub-population.  Eight in ten.  We are in critical need of sustainable change.    

This is a problem we can and must solve together. 

Parents As Primary Teachers' mission and programs are helping parents and guardians be accountable and hold other responsible parties accountable for the high quality education of their children.  This past season, the outpouring of demand reached a record 400% of our current capacity to serve.  With your investment, we can speed our rate of impact and surge our nation’s pool of effective problem solvers.

Make your donation today!

Notable Quotable

"I speak to you not just as a President, but as a father
when I say that responsibility for our children's education
must begin at home."

Barack Obama February 24, 2009

Book Spotlight

"My Family Plays Music" is a delightful story about a little girl who uses her percussion instruments to accompany her relatives in varying music styles.  Remind you of anyone?

Science: light vs. sound

During our Native America session, we learned about the relative speeds of light and sound.  We demonstrated  that light travels faster by popping a balloon filled with flour.  We had a very small space to work in, but if you can do the experiment outside, you could have two people pop balloons, one close to the observer, the second should stand very far away.

When they pop their balloons, you'll notice the far balloon pops before you hear the sound!  That's because sound must travel by vibrating molecules while light does not.

Watch us in action

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The Parents' Action Network of Parents As Primary Teachers meets on a bi-monthly basis. 


Its general role is to (a) keep current and potential supporters abreast of PAPT's activities and impact and (b) contribute to PAPT's reach and impact.

If you wish to volunteer or have questions, please contact us.   You can also reach us on our Facebook page.

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PAPT history vault: 2003

Mayor Bloomberg should take note: the Bedford Village School in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn – also known as Public School 3 – got a head-start on NYC's goal to host an Olympics.  From Tuesday, May 27 through Friday, June 6, over seven hundred children were jumping, running and laughing as part of Safe Play Olympics 2003.  This collaborative event had the two-fold effect of increasing parent involvement in the school and decreasing the rate of accidents and incidents during school recess.

The two-week event was organized by Parents As Primary Teachers, Inc., the non-profit parent resource providing training and support to parents that are either home-schooling or complementing the conventional classroom education of their children.  McDonald's Restaurant, Modell’s Sporting Goods, and Trophies by Syl provided bottled water, Hi-C, and several prizes to keep everyone hydrated and motivated.  Brooklyn’s own Jazzy Jumpers of P.S./I.S. 323, New York State Double Dutch champions, performed a tribute to inspire their peers to have fun aiming for physical and social health.  State Senator Velmanette Montgomery presented Parents As Primary Teachers with a resolution recognizing its efforts in the community.

All recess periods at P.S. 3 were dedicated to hundreds of children teaming up and playing the games we knew during our days on the blacktop like: Double Dutch, handball, hopscotch, steal the bacon, and skully.  They also played organized competitions in relay race, basketball, football and softball.  Numerous parents demonstrated their honorable commitment to the positive social development of the children in Bedford Village by volunteering their afternoons to teach the various games and encourage good sportsmanship tactics.  Several members of the school staff who are also parents of children at this school were intimately involved.

Contact Us

Parents As Primary Teachers, Inc.
198 Hancock Street
Brooklyn, NY 11216
718.857.8487
[email protected]