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Educational Programs Section » Programs » Early Head Start Home-Based

Early Head Start Home-Based

 

Overview

The Early Head Start home-based program supports pregnant women, children and their families through home visits and group socialization experiences. Early Head Start home visits provide comprehensive services to support and strengthen the relationship between infants, toddlers, and their parents. The strength and quality of these relationships are essential for optimal child development outcomes during this period of rapid social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development.

Home Visits

We encourage and provide support to practice and build on the activities that are introduced during the home visit.

  • Home visitors are required to conduct home visits on a weekly basis

  • 90 minutes each week for a total of 46 visits per year.

  • Home visits are planned collaboratively with the parents (or the child’s legal guardian).

Our goal is to support the parents in their roles as primary caregivers of the child and to facilitate the child’s optimal development.

Group Connections & Socializations

Group Connections/Socializations are another opportunity to strengthen and support relationships.

They provide parents with the opportunities to obtain feedback about their child's interest from:

  • EHS staff

  • other parents or community based professionals

  • They provide parents with the opportunities to obtain strengths, needs, and resources;

  • observe their child responding to other children and adults;

  • and share and learn from others about the challenges and joys of parenting. 

Group Connections & Socializations are:

  • Held twice a month (unless otherwise noted)

  • For 2 hours,

  • A total 22 socializations for the year

Curriculum

The Parents as Teachers Curriculum (PAT) is implemented for:

  • the home-based,

  • prenatal-3,

  • education services.

This research-based curriculum is:

  • Used by "Parents as Teachers" certified parent educators

  • To provide age-appropriate information to parents

  • To help lay a solid foundation for their children's school and life success.

The curricula covers:

  • all domains of development,

  • emphasizes increasing parents' knowledge of child development and

  • focus on parent-child activities that foster child development. 

Teachers provide a wide variety of materials and plan experiences that build on children’s interests and expand their learning. PAT provides highly individualized lessons with a strong parent involvement.