Parents as Teachers Home Visitation
The FIRC Families United program is currently serving 120 children in Summit County with free home visitation. There is a waiting list for the program and families are encouraged to take advantage of the parenting classes until they are able to get involved in the home visists. For more information and to be put on the waiting list please contact Noelle at 970-262-3888 ext. 321.
Program Details: Home visits use the evidence-based Parents As Teachers (PAT) and Born To Learn (BTL) curriculum for children ages 0-5. FIRC parent educators share age-appropriate child development and parenting information, help parents address parenting concerns and advocate for their children’s well being. The home visit frequency range from weekly to once a month and is based on the child and parent needs.
Objectives for Home Visits:
- Advocate for school readiness
- Screen and identify developmental issues
- Educate and support parents on child development
- Increase positive parenting skills
Enrollment for Home Visits:
• 120 children ages 0-5 served by the program
• 1,030 home visits provided either on a weekly to monthly basis
• 65% Spanish speaking/35% English speaking
• 90% retention rate. Does not include those who leave the program due to relocation out of Summit County.
• Average length of stay in the program is 3 years
• Each parent educator assists an average of 30 children
• Current waiting list is at 40 children, which is higher than ever before
Items covered at the visit:
- Brain Development
- Child Development
- Health
- Bonding
- Positive Parenting Skills
- Nutrition
- Community Resources and Referrals
- School Readiness
- Support parents in affirming child’s cultural identity and respect for others difference
- Case Work: For families facing economic, marital or mental issues, Parent Educators will work with them on goal setting to reach self-sufficiency and informing them of community resources.
- Screenings: The point of screenings is to asses the child’s overall development as well as health, hearing and vision. The standard screening tool is the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). All parent educators are trained to implement the screening tool and assist parents so they can answer the questions. The program requires FIRC to file an ASQ every 6 months and for children with development delays every 2 months, if the ASQ is available. In order to support parents with this process one staff member from Families United program attends every Child Find community screening.
Ways materials are presented in the visit:
- Building relationships with the families
- Empowering parent to read to the child
- Modeling to the parent the interaction with the child
- Activities to develop core skills -motor, cognitive, language and social
Engage parents in meaningful conversations about child - Coach parents to observe emerging developmental skills
- Instructional DVD’s
- Handouts and flyers
Family Activities
As part of the Families United program, group activities are offered six times during the year and all families of the program are invited. Each activity has a different focus but all have the main objective of improving the bond between the parent and child in a social setting. Examples of the activities include a beach day where activities offered focused on improving motor skills, others are physical activities like tumbling and snowshoeing to expose children to new activities and reinforce the importance of physical activity at a young age. These activities also allow the families to meet so friendships and parenting advice can be shared.
Preschool Scholarships
School readiness is one of the main objectives for Families United. One of the ways this objective is supported is through advocacy of preschool enrollment and scholarships for those who cannot afford the costs of childcare. Preschool scholarships are available on a limited basis to families receiving home visits. Families United is a strong advocate for preschool attendance as it better prepares children for entering elementary school.
Other Families United Parenting Education opportunities:
Bright Beginnings and Parenting Classes