March 27, 2017
Certificate for Entry-Level Family Development Workers in Head Start Programs
Based on the Head Start Bureau’s Competency Goals and Indicators
The Office of Head Start Bureau created the Parent, Family Community Engagement Framework to guide the work of local programs with families. The OHS published the Relationship Based Competencies (RBC’s) in IM-12-05. The RBC’s are the knowledge, skills and actions that family workers need to implement the PFCE.
The Center for Community Futures conducts educational programs in family development that provide college credit (up to eighteen hours) or provideContinuing Education Unit’s for MFTs, and LCSWs. The content of these classes is based on the RBC’s for Head Start family workers so it is directly related to your job.
The Center has also designed a certification program for family workers based on the PFCE and the RBC’s in IM-12-05. The certificate program enables family development workers to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in the topic areas covered by the RBC’s. It requires about 100 hours to complete, in four separate classes.Each class is described below. After completing the four courses (12 credit hours) the Certificate in Family Development is automatically issued by the California State University East Bay (CSUEB).
Most people will complete the four classes for the Certificate over a two-year period. You take the class in June, then do the homework/fieldwork class related to it over the following fall/winter. Then you take the second class in June of the following year, and completethe homework/fieldwork course related to it over the following fall/winter. Each participant who completes the four classes will receive the certificate from California State University East Bay. This certificate program includes 12 college credits which are transferable toward an A.A. or B.A. degree. CSUEB is a fully accredited institution. Everybody who has tried to transfer credits from CSUEB to their local university has been successful.
The four parts in the certificate program are as follows:
I. Basic Skills for Family Workers 1. Classroom instruction and small-groupwork. (About 32 hours of class) Course # HDEV 7400; 3 credits. This class has 8 workshops that provide skill training on half of the RBC areas. This class covers the RBC’s related to: culture, engagement, assessment, goal setting, and intervention including interventions in family crisis situations. (PFCE Goals 1,2,3, and 8) After each workshop, the participant will take a true/false exam consisting of ten to twenty questions. All those who have attended the class will have the knowledge needed to pass these exams.
II. Professional Portfolio: Homework and Fieldwork, Part I. (About 20 hours on your own) Course # HDEV 7401; 3 credits. This will be completed back home after the first Classroom session. You will use your experience to develop answers to 15 questions to demonstrate your competence on the RBC’s covered in the first classroom course.. The homework is based on the information and interventions you learned in the class e.g. culture, engagement, assessment, goal setting, and intervention including interventionsin family crisis situations.
III. Basic Skills for Family Workers 2. (About 32 hours of class) Course # HDEV 7402; 3 credits. This second Summer Institute class provides more skill training. This class covers the remaining RBC’s. There are 7 workshops over 32 hours whose primary focus will be on working with families, coordinating and integrating series, family connections to the community, foundations for professional growth and transition from Head Start to Kindergarten, (PFCE Goals 4, 5,6,7,and 9).
IV. Professional Portfolio: Homework and Fieldwork, Part II.Course # HDEV 7403; 3 credits. (About 20 hours on your own.) Back home, each individual will answer 17 questions based on what they learned in the class, and will also develop:
1. And Autobiography (1 – 2 pages) and
- Professional Resource File (A list of the agencies and other resources you use.) You send us the table of contents of your resource file, not the whole file
After completing these four classes, the candidate will automatically receive the Certificate in Family Development from CSUEB. Each of these four elements is described in greater detail below. The IM-12-05RBC’s that are covered in each topic are listed below.
SKILLS RELATED TO THE
PFCE RELATIONSHIP BASED COMPETENCIES
For
FAMILY WORKERS IN HEAD START PROGRAMS
- Basic Skills for Family Workers 1. The first four-day course.
CSUEB Course # HDEV 7400
INTRODUCTION - Overview of Head Start Relationship Based Competencies
PFCE GOAL 2. SELF AWARE AND CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE RELATIOSHIPS
/ Instructor (s) / Day 1 / Total 6 HoursKnowledge: Identifies and reflects on personal values, experiences, ethics, and biases (e.g. gender, racial, ethnic, cultural, or class) in order to become self-aware and more effective in working with different groups of people.
Understands the importance of taking care of oneself in order to be available and capable to attend to the needs of others. / Kilolo Brodie, Ph. D.
Skills. Demonstrates respectful interest in learning about each family’s values, beliefs, faith traditions, cultural influences, family structures, and circumstances.
Applies this knowledge to relationship-building and ongoing interactions with each family.
Reinforces the importance of home language and culture in a child’s development during interactions with parents and expectant families.
Actions.
Conducts culturally and linguistically responsive outreach and recruitment to parents and expectant families.
- Provides intake and orientation materials to families that are culturally and linguistically appropriate
PFCE GOAL 8. DATA DRIVEN SERVICES AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
/ Instructor (s) / Day 1 / 2 hoursKnowledge:
Understands how the Head Start Program Performance Standards, the Head Start Act, and Office of Head Start family engagement and family services technical assistance resources relate to daily work.
Learns to use different program data sources to inform work with parents and expectant families.* / James I. Masters, M.S. Center for Community Futures
Skills:
Knows how to use family well-being data to inform decisions and methods for supporting families.
Integrates data collected from parents and expectant families into individualized services, decision-making, and daily practice (e.g. survey, observational, or conversational data that includes family ideas and experiences).
Actions:
Performs effective recordkeeping and internal and external reporting tasks to track individual family progress and program progress.
Prepares and distributes evaluations and feedback suggestion forms during workshops, meetings, and other activities for parents and families.
Uses data results to inform the design of workshops, meetings, and other activities for parents and expectant families.
PFCE GOAL 1. POSITIVE GOAL ORIENTED RELATIONSHIPS: Part 1 Overview of Case Management and Engagement.
/ Instructor (s) / Day 2 / Total 4 HoursKnowledge.
Develops knowledge of effective relationship-building practices.
Understands that parents/expectant parents and staff each bring equal value to the relationship. / Cathy Ralph, LCSW
Skills:
Helps families feel welcomed, safe, and respected by building trusting relationships over time.
Shows respect for different families’ circumstances and creates opportunities for families to consider their aspirations for their children and themselves.
Uses appropriate communication techniques, such as verbal and nonverbal messages and reflective listening.
Actions:
Makes contact with both mothers and fathers to develop ongoing relationships.
PFCE GOAL 1. POSITIVE GOAL ORIENTED RELATIONSHIPS: Part 2 Assessment and Goal Setting
/ Instructor (s) / Day 2 / 4 hoursSkills:
Demonstrates the ability to work with families on different kinds of goals (health, nutrition, parent/child interactions, mental health, family literacy, financial literacy, etc.).
Demonstrates the ability to jointly develop and follow up on goals that are meaningful for families and individualizes services for parents and expectant mothers and fathers.
Makes ethical decisions that maintain professional boundaries and family confidentiality. / Cathy Ralph, LCSW
Actions:
In partnership with families, develops and supports plans that describe families’ strengths, resources, and needed services.
PFCE GOAL 3. FAMIL WELL BEING AND FAMILIES AS LEARNERS. Part 1, Mental Health / Instructor (s) / Day 3 / 4 Hours
Knowledge:
Develops knowledge and awareness of the signs of depression, trauma, homelessness, domestic violence, and/or mental illness for parents and expectant families. / Rebecca Wixon, MSW
Skills:
Can increase families’ awareness and ability to identify protective factors/strengths they have to overcome challenges.
Can increase families’ awareness and ability to address the risks and stressors in their lives.
Actions:
Connects families with opportunities that support safety, financial literacy, health, and family wellness.
PFCE GOAL 3. FAMILY WELL BEING AND FAMILIES AS LEARNERS. Part 2. Crisis Intervention / Instructor (s) / Day 5 / 4 hours
Knowledge:
Understands the proper steps to ensure family and child safety, when safety is threatened. / Rebecca Wixon, MSW
Skills:
Is able to conduct educational opportunities for parents and expectant families on the importance of healthy relationships and support networks.
Knows how to identify, in partnership with the family, options and resources to address challenges and work toward aspirations and long-term family stability.
Actions:
Connects families with opportunities that support safety, financial literacy, health, and family wellness.
Links parents to training that contributes to self-sufficiency and reaching goals around their education and/or career training.
PFCE GOAL 3. FAMILY WELL BEING AND FAMILIES AS LEARNERS. Part 3. Parent Education and Networking / Instructor (s) / Day 4 / 4 hours
The RBC;s are the same as the previous workshop, with the emphasis on parent education and networking. / Jenell Thompson, M.Ed, LCSW
Passing a true-false quiz at the end of each and every workshop based on the information presented in the workshop ensures that each participant is meeting core competency requirements.
Either during the class or after the class, students who want college credit may select either a pass/fail option or a letter-grade option. About 90%choose the letter-grade option. So far, of the 800 Head Start Family workers who have completed these classes, the only students who chose the pass-fail option were students whose first language was not English.
II. Professional Portfolio. Homework and Field WorkPartI. (About 40 hours) Course # HDEV 7401 (3 credits). After the first Institute, the candidate will complete XXstatements of competence. These statements are written by the family worker in her or his own words for each of the topics listed below. Each of the XXstatements of competence is developed through self-study and fieldwork. The questions ask how you used or applied the knowledge that you learned in the classroom coursein your work with families. These are descriptions of what you do. Here are the questions.
PFCE 2 Self Aware and Culturally Responsive Relationships
1)Describe the philosophy of YOUR HEAD START program and the services it provides.
2)Describe 4 activities (2 internal and 2 external) in which you have worked with other program staff.
3)Describe 3 ways served as a productive team member in your agency.
4)Obtain statement from supervisor that you are performing recording keeping and reporting tasks correctly and in a timely manner.
5)Describe your participation in strategic planning, program self-assessment or another effort to improve program services.
6)Describe your agency’s outreach and recruitment programs, and enrollment procedures. Be sure to describe your part in these.
7) Describe your work with a family of a culture different than your own. Be specific about HOW you learned and WHAT your learned about the family’s values, beliefs, traditions, cultural influences, make-up and circumstances. Be specific and give examples about how you used your knowledge of and sensitivity to their culture as you interacted with them for purposes of engagement, assessment, or goal setting. (If you ONLY do enrollment, describe that. If you do more than enrollment, then go beyond enrollment.)
PFCE 3 Family Well-Being and Families as Learners
8)Describe at least 3 examples about how you have provided or coordinated training and/or educational opportunities for parents on one or more the these topics: the importance of healthy relationships and support networks; or contributes to self sufficiency, or reaches goals around education or career training.
9)Describe how you have helped parents connect with each of the following: opportunities that support safety, financial literacy, health and family wellness.
9) Describe 3 methods you have used to promote and support parent involvement and leadership throughout the program.
10) Describe a family situation in which you applied your knowledge of mental health to ensure holistic service delivery. List 3 specific pieces of information you used to help the family.
- Describe your work with a family in crisis. Include descriptions of the following:
- Your assessment of the situation;
- The steps you took to ensure the safety of all involved;
- The factors you considered when deciding to intervene or to refer to others;
- The options and resources available to address the crisis, and the consequences of their use.
- 3 ways in which you supported the family in making decisions and taking active steps to resolve the current crisis and to be prepared to address future crises.
PFCE 1 Positive Goal Oriented Relationships
12) Describe the engagement process with a family with whom you have worked. You may want to refer to course material on the 16 steps of engagement (although it is not necessary to comment on each one). How did you help this specific family feel welcome, safe and respected by building trust.
13) Write an assessment for this same family using the assessment guide provided in the workshop. If your agency uses a specific assessment tool like a genogram or ecomap, please include a copy of it.
14) Using the Family Partnership Plan or Agreement, describe an intervention plan with this same family. Write down the goal(s) they have decided to achieve. Describe how at least one of these goals satisfy the SMART criteria, (Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Reasonable, Timely.)
- Basic Skills for Family Workers 2. The second 4-day program.
CSUEB Course # HDEV 7402
Overview of the PFCE Framework and the Relationship Based Competencies
PFCE GOAL 4. PARENT CHILD RELATIONSHIPS AND FAMILIES AND LIFELONG EDUCATORS / Instructor (s) / Day 1 / 8 HoursKnowledge:
Understands that families are vital to children’s development and learning.
Recognizes positive interactions between families and children. / Jenell Thompson.
M.Ed, LCSW
Skills:
Actively engages families in interactions with their children when children are present.
Is able to focus on family and child strengths as an entry point into relationships and conversations about children.
Promotes prenatal attachment with expectant families.
Facilitates and/or coordinates evidenced-based parenting education opportunities for parents individually and in groups, individualizing for culture, gender, and age, as appropriate.
Supports parents (or links parents to supports) to address challenging child behaviors in positive, developmentally appropriate ways and accesses resources as necessary.
Works well with other program staff to support ongoing interactive literacy activities between parents and their children at home and in the community.
Supports families in developing skills and confidence to be effective leaders and advocates for their children.
Actions:
Talks with families about their vital role in their children’s development and learning.
Supports expectant families in making connections between their actions and the pre-natal effects.
Offers learning materials for children and parents that reflect families’ cultures, and encourages family members to visit, observe, and volunteer in the program.
Provides families with appropriate information, training, and connections to future early care and educational settings and kindergarten to help facilitate the transition process for parents and children.
Develops strong relationships with community child care, preschools, and public schools in order to enhance home-school partnerships and transitions.
PFCE GOAL 7. COORDINATED, INTEGRATED AND COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES
/ Instructor (s) / Day 2 / 4 HoursKnowledge:
Develops a basic knowledge of health, mental health, child development, and disabilities to ensure service coordination amongst Head Start/Early Head Start staff. / Christine Slaymaker, Sonoma CountyHead Start
Skills:
Is able to work cooperatively with other staff (mental health, teaching, health, disabilities, etc.) to ensure families’ individual values and practices are incorporated into program strategies for children and families.
Can communicate with families and others about the importance of health, mental health, and child development services for children’s ongoing learning and development.
Actions:
Ensures that pertinent knowledge about families is appropriately shared with colleagues and professionals in a way that assures confidentiality and increases service coordination.
PFCE GOAL 5. FAMILY CONNECTIONS TO PEERS AND COMMUNITY
/ Instructor (s) / Day 2 / 4 HoursKnowledge:
Recognizes the importance of support networks, particularly for isolated families.
Understands how facilitation skills support group processes and interactions / Christine Slaymaker, Sonoma County Head Start
Skills:
Demonstrates group facilitation knowledge and skills.
Is able to support families in identifying, developing, and utilizing their informal and formal support networks (e.g. neighborhood groups, faith/spiritual communities, civic organizations).
Has the ability to identify common interests and needs of parents in order to plan appropriate activities and learning opportunities.
Is skilled at coordinating training and educational opportunities for parents (e.g. adult education, life skills, parenting courses, family literacy, employment training).
Actions:
Educates parents on Policy Council and other available committee or community opportunities that will promote parent leadership and advocacy.
Includes parents as active participants in groups and training so they can share skills, culture, and talents.
Supports parents as they engage in volunteering, collaborating with the community, and other ways of contributing to program activities and the larger community.
PFCE GOAL 6. FAMIY ACCESS TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES /
Instructor (s)
/ Day 3 /8 Hours
Knowledge:Has an extensive knowledge of social service and community resources for families (e.g. health, mental health, nutrition, financial literacy, education).
Understands how to match community and program resources to family interests and needs.
Knows when and how to connect families with specialized resources and assistance (e.g. mental health, domestic violence, substance abuse treatment, child welfare services) and when to ask for supervisory help to do so. / Cathy Ralph, LCSW
Skills:
Knows how to provide ongoing information and support to families in using program services and community resources to achieve family goals and promote the well-being of children.
Demonstrates the ability to support families as leaders in the program and as advocates for needed resources for their families.
Is able to build partnerships with schools and service providers to link families to needed services and support successful transitions.
Actions:
Becomes family’s liaison to program and community services as appropriate. This could include joint visits with professionals in health, mental health, child development, and child welfare as indicated to address specific issues or family needs.
Follows up on the effectiveness of family referrals to community resources.
PFCE GOAL 9. FOUNDATIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH