(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - Local Ketchikan resident Merrideth (Mimi) Eddy was honored for her 30 years of service with the RurAL CAP early childhood program in Anchorage at the Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP) Board of Directors' Luncheon this month.

Eddy began her career at RurAL CAP as one of the first Head Start Home Visitors for the Ketchikan Head Start program in 1985. Starting out, she worked with families of children three years of age.  Eddy then transitioned to being one of the first Parents as Teachers (PAT) Home Visitors in 1999 when it was a pilot program between RurAL CAP and the University of Alaska - a birth to three years of age home based program known as Project Northern Lights.

In 2001, the Parents As Teachers service was recognized as a promising practice in serving families in their home environments and went on to become one of RurAL CAP's most rapidly expanding early childhood programs. The Parents As Teachers' program serves families with children from prenatal to 3+ years of age. 

Since 1985, Eddy has served many multi-generations of families in the Ketchikan community. Eddy's office it is a pictorial testimony to the impact she has made on the lives of many young children.

Eddy's sense of humor and her ability to relate to families, both with their unique strengths and challenges has endeared her to many. Eddy has attended many of her former students’ high school graduations forming life long bonds.

Eddy’s sister, MaryJane Rzegocki, from Seattle, was also able to attend the event in Anchorage.

The Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc., founded in 1965, is a private, statewide, nonprofit organization working to improve the quality of life for low-income Alaskans.

Merrideth (Mimi) Eddy (center) and Rural Alaska Community Action Program staff.
Photo courtesy RurAL CAP

Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors representing every region of the state, RurAL CAP is one of the largest and most diversified nonprofit organizations in Alaska.

In fiscal year 2014, RurAL CAP employed 752 Alaskans in 65 communities statewide. In 2015, RurAL CAP commemorated 50 years of delivering early childhood education programs like Head Start and Parents as Teachers.

The Parents as Teachers (PAT) program is a homebased program for families with children-prenatal to three years of age. The program requires families to commit to two one-hour home visits a month and a monthly group experience. At this time the program runs from September to mid-May. If you are interested in the Parents as Teachers program in the Ketchikan area, contact Mimi Eddy at 617-0517.

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News:

RurAL CAP
https://ruralcap.com

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Ketchikan, Alaska

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