The Role of the Home Visitor
The key elements of the Head Start home-based program option are explained in The Head Start Home Visitor Handbook, A Guide for Operating the Head Start Home- Based Program Option , the "Concepts Presented in the Videotape" section of the User's Guide, as well as on the fact sheet, "Overview of the Head Start Home-Based Program Option." Review this fact sheet (page 26) before you view the videotape. The key elements of the Head Start home-based program option that are within the role of the home visitor include:
- Meeting the Head Start Program Performance Standards in the home-based option
- Establishing and maintaining partnerships with parents
- Using the home as a learning environment
- Basing work with families on the family needs assessment and the child's developmental profile
- Using information to develop individualized short and long-term goals
- Encompassing all the Head Start component areas in working with families
- Individualizing services with families
- Receiving support from supervisors, component coordinators, and other Head Start team members.
As you view the videotape, look for examples of the key elements as demonstrated by the home visitors, parents, and others. Think about ways that you can plan for and implement the key elements of the home-based program option. Some of the examples might include the following.
- Meeting the Performance Standards In The Home-Based Option
- Home visitors schedule weekly home visits with each family with activities covering all the component areas.
- Home-based staff and parents plan and conduct group socialization activities, parent meetings, and training sessions.
- Establishing and Maintaining Partnerships.
- Home visitors and parents work as a team in planning, conducting, and evaluating activities.
- Home visitors accept each family's values.
- Home visitors and parents form a partnership through informal conversation.
Using the Home as a Learning Environment
- Home visitors help parents to under stand how to use home materials and their family routines as opportunities for children to learn concepts, practice new skills, and explore feelings.
- Home visitors supplement materials found in the home with agency purchased consumable supplies for the families to use during the year. These may include construction paper, glue, paste, crayons, and children's scissors.
- Home visitors should supplement home materials with toys, puzzles, and games for specific activities with a child; These materials may be used to meet a child's individual needs, to complete a developmental screening or assessment, or to amuse children while home visitors and parents work together.
Basing Work with Families on the Family Needs Assessment and the
Child's
Developmental Profile
- Home visitors and parents complete the family needs assessment instrument at the start of the program year and update the information throughout the year.
- Home visitors and parents initiate children's health screenings and an ongoing assessment of each child's developmental status at the start of the program year. This is done in order to plan a program and design appropriate strategies to promote the child's growth and development.
- Home visitors and parents complete the developmental screening for each child at the start of the program year. This helps to identify children needing referral for a more in-depth evaluation and diagnosis regarding a potential disability.
Using Information to Develop Individualized Short and Long-Term Goals
- Home visitors and parents use information from the family needs
assessment to develop the family action plan. The family action plan is
based on the Performance Standards and each family's strengths, interests,
and needs.
- Home visitors and parents use the information from the child's developmental profile to develop specific goals in the cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional areas. These goals are reflected in weekly activities.
Encompassing All the Head Start Component Areas
- Home visitors and parents plan weekly activities in the areas of education, health (including mental health and nutrition), social services, and parent involvement, based on child and family profiles.
Individualizing Services with Families
- Home visitors and parents, plan and implement weekly activities for the family that will enable them to meet the goals identified in the family action plan.
- Home visitors help parents to conduct activities for their child(ren) based on the child's strengths, interests, needs, and stage of development.
Receiving Support from Supervisors, Component Coordinators, and Other Head Start Team Members
- Home-based supervisors meet regularly with home visitors, accompany them on home visits, provide feedback on their performance, and assist home visitors establish and maintain competence.
- Component coordinators and other staff regularly confer with home visitors, accompany them on home visits when necessary, and suggest approaches, resources, and strategies to help home visitors meet families' needs.
After viewing the videotape, you might note that the families and home visitors depicted have established excellent rapport and that the parents are highly motivated. These are characteristics of an ideal home-based situation. Think about how you can implement a quality program when:
- Establishing and maintaining rapport with a family is difficult
- Parents have problems seeing their home as a learning environment and would prefer that their child go to "school"
- You are uncertain about your agency's family needs assessment, child develop mental profile, and family action plan processes
- A family does not appear to be motivated to participate in activities that reflect all the Head Start component areas
- You are unsure of the support you can receive from your supervisor, component coordinators, and other Head Start staff to help you deal with the problems noted above.
Discuss these issues with other home visitors, your supervisor, and others who can help you improve your home visiting skills.
For More Information:
- View the home-based program option orientation videotape, Head Start at Home
- Read Chapter One, "The Role of the Home Visitor" in The Head Start Home Visitor Handbook
- Read the Introduction and Chapter Two, "Key Elements of the Head Start Home-Based Program Option," in A Guide for Operating the Head Start Home-Based Program Option
- Review the Head Start Program Performance Standards
- Talk with your supervisor about the key elements of the home-based program option