Arizona Head Start T/TA Office Summer Webinar Series:

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Arizona Head Start T/TA Office Summer Webinar
Series Home Visiting Part Two Tina
Sykes, M.Ed Infant/Toddler Specialist Head Start
State-Based T/TA Office for Arizona

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Objectives

• Participants will
• explore essential elements of a home visit
• discuss ways to structure home visits in order to
  meet the needs of both the parent and the child
• understand the importance of linking home visits
  to socializations
• learn strategies to stay safe while home visiting
• gain concrete tools to help reduce stress

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Agenda

• Re-visiting Home Visiting Part One
• Essential Elements of Home Visiting
• Structuring Your Visit
• Linking Home Visits to Socializations
• Home Visitor Safety and Self Care

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Lets re-visit

• Home visiting is an early childhood intervention
  that can enhance parenting and promote the growth
  and development of young children

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Re-visit continued

• Home Visiting
• Uses the home environment to help parents create
  rich learning opportunities for their children
• Provides support to families whose life
  circumstances may prevent them from participating
  in a more structured setting

• Is flexible and offers support and child
  development information to families on their
  schedule
• Offers accessibility to families who live in
  rural communities and who otherwise would not be
  able to receive services

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Performance Standards Review

• 1306.33 Home based program option
• (b)... Home visitors must conduct the home visit
  with the participation of parents. Home visits
  may not be conducted by the home visitor with
  only babysitters or other temporary caregivers in
  attendance.
• (1) The purpose of the home visit is to help
  parents improve their parenting skills and to
  assist them in the use of the home as the child's
  primary learning environment.
• (2) Home visits must, over the course of a month,
  contain elements of all Head Start program
  components.

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Frequency and duration of home visits

• In the home based program option, each family
  receives a minimum of one 90 minute visit per
  week regardless of how many children are enrolled
  in that family
• In the center based option, parents are
  encouraged to participate in two home visits
  annually for each child enrolled
• Home visits that are cancelled by program staff
  must be rescheduled to meet the required number
  of yearly home visits

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Home Visiting is a PARTNERSHIP

• Successful home visiting requires a partnership
  between the visitor and the family
• That partnership begins with the home visitor
  developing a professional relationship with the
  Head Start family.

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FAB FIVE Fundamentals of Relationship Building

• Boundaries
• Empathic Listening
• Honesty
• Respect
• Consistency

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Boundaries

• Boundaries are the framework within which the
  worker/client relationship occurs. Boundaries
  make the relationship professional and safe for
  the client and set the parameters within which
  services are delivered.
• (College of Psychologists of Ontario, 1998)

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Empathic Listening

• Empathy is the ability to project oneself into
  the personality of another person in order to
  better understand that persons emotions or
  feelings. Through empathic listening, the
  listener lets the speaker know, I understand your
  problem and how you feel about it. I am
  interested in what you are saying and I am not
  judging you.
• (Salem, 2003)

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Honesty

• Honesty is stating an emotionally neutral
  description of whats really happening in a
  particular situation.
• (Michael H. Smith, Ph.D.)

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Respect

• Respect is an attitude of acknowledging the
  feelings and interests of another party in a
  relationship.
• (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia)

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Consistency

• Not varying always behaving or happening in a
  similar, especially positive way.
• (Cambridge Dictionary)

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Essential Elements of Home Visiting

• Supporting child development
• Recognizing parents as their childs first
  teacher
• Capitalizing on learning opportunities in the
  home environment

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Supporting Child Development

• Home visitors must
• Focus on the child
• Prioritize child development experiences
• Use the developmental screening assessment
  process to individualize services
• Individualize curricula
• Establish partnerships to serve children with
  disabilities

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Recognizing Parents as their childs first and
most important teacher

• Supporting parents and nurturing their childs
  learning and development is the primary focus of
  home visiting
• Parents are best able to provide support to their
  children when their own needs are met

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Capitalizing on learning opportunities in the
home environment

• Using the setting in which children and families
  spend the majority of their time
• Emphasizing how everyday routines provide
  meaningful opportunities for children to build on
  their developmental skills
• Helping parents understand home experiences can
  enhance learning and encouraging them to re-
  create learning experiences daily

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Lets Play

• Infants and toddlers learn
• best
• In the context of relationships with their
  parents and caregivers
• Through play and active exploration of their
  environment

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Using household items to support learning
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Using household items to support learning

• Mirrors

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Using household items to support learning

• Tupperware

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Using household items to support learning

• Empty Tissue Boxes

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Using household items to support learning

• Soft Scarves

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Using household items to support learning

• Laundry Baskets

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Using household items to support learning

• The most important household item
• PARENTS/CAREGIVERS

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Structuring your home visit

• Each home visit should last 90 minutes and
  include
• Warm and Positive Greeting ( 5 minutes)
• Follow up/Review/Check in (10 minutes)
• Focus on Family Issues (15 minutes)
• Parent-Child Interaction Activities (45 minutes)
• Co-Planning/Paperwork (10 minutes)
• Evaluation/ Good-bye (5 minutes)

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Structuring your home visit

• Babies Cant Wait 4 Step Home Visit Model
• www.babiescantwait.com
• Greeting (10-15 minutes)
• Parent Time (20-30 minutes)
• Parent-Child Activity (20-30 minutes)
• Planning for Next Time (10-15 minutes)

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Home Visits and Socializations

• The home based model includes
• GROUP SOCIALIZATIONS
• Programs must offer a minimum of 2 socializations
  a month

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Group Socializations

• Group socializations provide parents the
  opportunity to
• Obtain additional feedback about their childs
  interests, strengths, needs and resources
• Observe their children
• Share and learn from others about the challenges
  and joys of parenting

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Linking Home Visits to Socializations

• The socialization experiences support the goals
  established during the home visits
• The Family Partnership Agreement must include the
  specific roles of parents in socializations and
  home visits 45 CFR 1340.40 (a) (2)

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Linking Home Visits to Socializations

• Connect the home visits with socialization
  experiences so that they build on family goals
  and are meaningful to participants

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Lets link.

• 4 Steps to linking home visits to socializations
• Actions taking during the home visits
• Planning for socializations with other EHS staff
• Actions during the socializations
• Actions after the socializations

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Staying safe as a home visitor

• Taking care of YOU

What are some ways you maintain your safety while
home visiting?
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Self Protective Measures for Workers

• Assess the dangers BEFORE meeting with the family
• Inform supervisor and/or co-workers about home
  visiting plans
• Use formal/informal buddy system
• Follow home visiting safety guidelines
• Learn appropriate self-defense strategies

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This is hard work

• Home visiting can sometimes be stressful.
• What are some ways you manage stress in your life?

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Dance like nobodys watching
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Key Stress Management Tools

• Check your expectations. Are they realistic? Do
  you recognize your limits?
• Check your motives. Are you setting yourself up
  for frustration?
• Examine your boundaries. Many warning signs are
  red flags for boundary problems. Be forgiving of
  yourself if your boundaries have slipped and talk
  to your supervisor.

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Key Stress Management Tools

• Ask yourself what this works brings up for you.
  Use supervision time to explore personal feelings
  about the work.
• Acknowledge your own needs. In order to have
  compassion for others, you must have compassion
  for yourself. You must believe its ok to make
  mistakes.
• Spend time with co-workers. Network with others
  in your profession.
• Find sources of personal support such as family
  and friends.

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Top 3 Stress Management Tools

1. Remember we are only responsible for facilitating
   change. The family is responsible for making
   change.
2. Replenish yourself and cultivate an identity that
   includes more than just work.
3. Redefine the meaning of success.

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Lets sum it up

• There are 3 essential elements of home visiting
• Home visitors should encourage the use of
  materials in the natural environment
• Be intentional when structuring home visits and
  linking home visits to socializations
• Take care of YOU!

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When you hang up the phone

• Here are some things to consider
• Am I structuring my home visits to meet the needs
  of both the parents and the children? If not,
  what do I need to change?
• How am I supporting families in identifying safe
  appropriate learning materials for their
  children?
• Am I consistently linking home visits to
  socializations?
• What is my personal safety plan?
• Am I seeking and receiving the support I need in
  order to effectively serve families?

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Final Thought.

• The role of the Home Visitor is as a
• facilitator NOT director
• coach NOT teacher
• supporter NOT evaluator
• PARTNER WITH PARENTS
• Linda Kimura, Babies Cant Wait

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• The Arizona Head Start Training and Technical
  Assistance Office and STG International thank you
  for joining our webinar today!
• Please continue to join the 2010 Summer Webinar
  Series occurring every Tuesday and Thursday
  during the months of June and July at 300
  Pacific Daylight Time.
• Please contact Mary Kramer Reinwasser at
  mary.reinwasser_at_stginternational.com for more
  information.

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Any Questions?