3-5 Center Base Home Visit and Parent/Teacher Conference Guidelines

Head Start Performance Standards require two home visits and two parent teacher conferences per program year.

1304.40 (e) Parent involvement in child development and education. (1) Grantee and delegate agencies must provide opportunities to include parents in the development of the program's curriculum and approach to child development and education (see 45 CFR 1304.3(a)(5) for a definition of curriculum).

1304.3(a)(5) Curriculum means a written plan that includes:

(i) The goals for children's development and learning;

(ii) The experiences through which they will achieve these goals;

(iii) What staff and parents do to help children achieve these goals; and

(iv) The materials needed to support the implementation of the curriculum. The curriculum is consistent with the Head Start Program Performance Standards and is based on sound child development principles about how children grow and learn.

Purposes:

To build respectful partnerships and relationships. This visit is a time to reinforce the family as the child’s first and primary teacher. The family is the senior partner in the relationship. The partnership focuses on school readiness.

To provide information that will increase the adult’s knowledgeand understanding of the developmental progress of theirchildren in the program.

To provide opportunities for parents to assist in the curriculumplanning process and become valuable assets to the classroomcommunity.

#1Home Visit:

A) Contact parent/guardian to schedule meeting. Meeting will last a minimum of an hour.

Time options should be available to best meet the need of the parents. Location is

determined by the parent.

B) Complete First Home Visit Questionnaire with parents in a conversational manner to learn about the family, child and familiesgoal for their child’s school experience. The whole reason for the form is to develop a relationship with the parent’s as their child’s teacher. Remember your job is to support them in that role. Ask open ended questions to get the answers needed to complete the form. For example: tell me about your family? Tell me about your child? Explainto the parent the importance of getting to know them and their child and that is why you are asking these questions. Set a goal with parentwhere progress can be shown at fall conference on set goal. (Parent’s idea for curriculum) Review Developmentally Appropriate Practice brochure if answered “no” to question. Write helpful things not addressed in Questionnaire in the box on the last page such as best way to communicate with parent and anything shared by parent ( child likes red)

C) Share about Creative Curriculum and importance of play basedcurriculum for 3-5 year olds. Share what their child is learning through play in each center. Explain portfolios, 50 objectives (domains), lesson plans, individualization (child’s number) and Continuum (assessment tool, anecdotal notes).Review School Readiness Goals.Give overview of Second Step curriculum. Share IMIL goals.

D) Ask about their schedule/routine. Explain your schedule/routine.Ask if they have certain expectations for them at home such as cleaning up after eating, feeding a pet etc. Explain classroom jobsand how they are chosen. Share rest time procedure and family style meals. Talk about things specific to your class- Toys from home?How you will communicate with the parent? (Newsletters, notebook going back and forth or whatever way you communicate weekly with parents) Make sure to have parent sign/date and you sign/date form.

E) Volunteering (share volunteer from parent handbook) in-kind, parentmeetings (automatic when child enrolled, parents make it what it is), policy council ( parent chosen from parent meeting to represent oncouncil- have a voice in decision making)

F) Complete Protective Factors Survey

G) Pictures for classroom (if child and family members present)

H) After visit have all team members who weren’t at visit review form. Initial back to show all team members reviewed form. Enter into Promis as a Beginning Home Visit completion. Place form under Education in child’s file. Review Protective Factors Survey withFamily Service Worker for strengths/needs. Family Service Worker will review with family and put form under Family Partnership Information in child’s file.

#1 Parent/Teacher conference:

A) Contact parent/guardian to schedule meeting. Meeting will last minimum of forty five minutes.Time options should be available to best meet the need of the parents. Location: School

B) Goal of visit is to continue building the partnership and relationship. This visit is for both the family and you to share information about the child and the progress the child has made. This is a time to celebrate the child and their efforts and accomplishments. Review Child Progress and Planning form with parents. Should have mastered skills, emerging skills and interests completed before conference. It should be typed on the form. Family comments and goals should be completed during the conference. Goals should be driven by the review of portfolios, emerging skills, child’s interests, learning style and school readiness goals.Plan with parents developmentally appropriate activities to work on at home and school to help with development of selected goals. Document this on form under goals. After completion, both sign/date form. Parent gets copy, copy for child’s file and original to Education Coordinator. Enterin Promis as a Parent/Teacher conference completion. Share information with team members.

C) Explain Outcomes to parents and relation to School Readiness Goals.

D) Share information about kindergarten round up, ifrelevant due toearly round up/age. Share

Kindergarten Transition Report and Getting to Know My Child, ifround up occurs before

second Home Visit.

E) Talk about where the center is at with in-kind hours, parent meetings and policy council

representation.

#2 Home Visit:

A) Contact parent/guardian to schedule meeting. Meeting will last a minimum of an hour.

Time options should be available to best meet the need of the parents. Location is determined by the parent.

B) Goal of visit is to continue building the partnership and relationship. This visit is for both the family and you to share information about the child and the progress the child has made. This is a time to celebrate the child and their efforts and accomplishments. Review Child Progress and Planning form with parents. Should have mastered skills, emerging skills and interests completed before conference. It should be typed on the form. Family comments and goals should be completed during the conference. Goals should be driven by the review of portfolios, emerging skills, child’s interests, learning style and school readiness goals. Plan with parents developmentally appropriate activities to work on at home and school to help with development of selected goals. Document this on form under goals. After completion, both sign/date form. Parent gets copy, copy for child’s file and original to Education Coordinator. Enter in Promis as a Parent/Teacher conference completion. Share information with team members.

C) Explain Outcomes to parents and relation to School Readiness Goals.

D) Share information about kindergarten round up if relevant due to age.Share Kindergarten Transition Report and Getting to Know My Child.

E) Talk about where the center is at with in-kind hours, parent meetings and policy council representation.

#2 Parent/Teacher Conference:

A) Contact parent/guardian to schedule meeting.Meeting will last minimum of forty five

minutes.Time options should be available to best meet the need of the parents.

Location: School

B) Review Child Progress and Planning form withparents. Summarize progress for the year. Set goalsfor the summer.Plan with parents developmentally appropriate activities to work on at home to foster development with goals. Document this on form undergoals. After completion, both sign/date form. Parent gets copy, copy for child’s file and original to Education Coordinator. Enter in Promis as a Parent/Teacher conference completion. Share information with team members.

C) Transitions

D) Transition activities for the summer

3-5 Center-Based HV/PT Guidelines (pg. 1 of 3)