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All health, education, and social support programs dealing with young children should have a family support/home-visiting component as an option for families.

_Roberts, 1988, The Future of Children 1993

Philosophy

Contra Costa County Head Start's Home-Based option focuses on the family and child in their immediate family environment. Delivery of Head Start services to the home has great potential to affect parent-child interaction, and to enhance child's development. Home Base supports and encourages families as they strive for self-sufficiency. Our Home-Based option is grounded in the concept that parents are the first and most influential educators and developers of their own children. In their homes, parents provide for their children many of the same developmental activities and support services that the children would receive if attending child development centers. When looking at services for children with disabilities, some specialists served through a Home-Based option, including socialization experiences with peers.

Services

Our Home-Based program option provides opportunities for parents to enhance the parent-child relationship, promote the education and development of their children, enrich the home environment to encourage their children's learning, identify and refer children with special healthcare needs, developmental delays, or disabilities. Home Base Workers serve as facilitators, educators, and a support system for parents and families. They act as vital links to the local community and resources.

Head Start's Home-Based option services include:

• Providing one home visit per week per family (a minimum of 32 home visits per year). Lasting for a minimum of one -and-one-half hours each.
• Providing a minimum of two group socialization activities per month for each child (a minimum of 16 group socialization activities each year).

The purpose of socialization activities for children is to emphasize peer group interaction through developmentally appropriate activities in a Head Start classroom, community facility, home, or on a field trip. The Home Base Worker supervises children, with parents observing at times and actively participating at other times.

Home Base focuses on parents via socialization activities. These must be designed so that parents accompany their children to group socialization activities at least twice each month to observe, to participate as volunteers, and to engage in activities designed specifically for parents.

All services provided to the home-visited family are the same quality as those given in centers. The only difference is the home setting is used as the learning environment, and the parent is the primary educator. The home visitor role is to be the facilitator. For Early Headstart, the parent-child bonding and attachment is one of the most important home visitation goals.

The overall goal of the Head Start program is to bring about a greater degree of competence in our children of low-income families.
Services include:

• Improvement of the family's attitude toward health care and the development of physical abilities;
• Support of parents attention to their children's health or physical abilities, including appropriate steps to correct present physical and mental problems and to enhance their children's access to adequate diet;
• Encouragement of each family member's self-esteem, spontaneity, curiosity, and self-discipline (which will assist in the development / strengthening of the child and family's social / emotional health);
• Involvement of parents in the enhancement of their children's mental processes and skills- with particular attention to thinking and communication skills;
• Establishment of patterns / expectations of success for children and all family members (which will create a climate of confidence for present and future efforts and overall development);
• Expansion of the ability of all family members to relate to each other, and to others;
• Enhancement of a sense of dignity and self-worth within all family members.
• Assist in parent support / education groups;
• Provide on-going training;
• Make group socialization observations;
• Conduct assessments; and
• Provide referral services.

Home Base Workers are trained on, adult learning strategies, assessment of family function, appropriate parent communication, measurement of child development, identification of behavioral indicators of child abuse, and with follow- through with State and agency reporting regulations when appropriate.

Nutrition objectives are accomplished through both home visits and group socialization activities. The emphasis is on nutrition education - helping parents learn to make the best use of existing resources. Parents receive information and guidance on menu planning, consumer education, and money management.

The Head Start Home-Based program option reflects the concept that parents are the first and most influential educators and "enablers" of their own children. Thus, staff places emphasis on developing and expanding the role of the parent. Home Base Workers help parents become more effective members of their families and communities; primary goals are self-sufficiency and self-advocacy.

Parents participate in individualized weekly home visits with the Home Base Worker; they evaluate each visit, and plan activities for the days between visits, as well as future visits. Parents assist in planning activities / experiences for both parents and children during group socialization activities twice a month. Home-Based enrolled parents are encouraged to participate in their Home Base Parent meetings.

Family Partnership Plan for Head Start families is an organized method of assisting families in assessing their needs and strengths. Home Base Workers
Interact with families in their home environments, identifying and providing Social Services that enhance individual strengths within families - to enable them to meet their own needs. Home Base Workers advocate on behalf of families in emergency situations, refer families to community agencies, and provide support as needed.

Home Base Workers identify how Head Start can best support families to maximize and maintain strengths, while attending to area of need or concern. Major emphasis is placed on developing / setting family goals, and on following
through with an appropriate plan of action (including progress reports and accomplishment check lists).

Monitoring

Monitoring of Home-Based program option requirements and activities is included in total agency operations, as well as within individual service areas operations. Home Base should never be considered as a separate service area. Rather, it is a service delivery option for each service area, with operations and monitoring therein.