The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
The Participants
Early Head Start (EHS) – www.ehsnrc.org
EHS is an outgrowth of Head Start and is currently operating in numerous sites across the country. EHS's participation in the Forum-sponsored research was facilitated by a cooperative agreement with Zero to Three, a nonprofit organization devoted to advancing the development of healthy babies and young children. EHS is a community-based program for low-income families that provides parent education, comprehensive health and mental services, childcare, and home visits.
Home Visit Forum Participants: Judie Jerald, Martha Staker, Helen Raikes, Brenda Jones Harden, and Rachel Chazan Cohen
Healthy Families
HFA was founded out of a concern to prevent child abuse and neglect. Home visitors work to develop a trusting relationship with families and support parents in overcoming the many challenges in daily life. Their services include parent education and parent–child relationship building as well as referrals to help with housing, financial well-being, substance abuse, and mental health.
Home Visit Forum Participants: A. Sidney Johnson, III, Kathryn Harding, John Holton, Barbara Rawn, Susan Frankel, Helen Reif, and Marty
Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) – www.hippyusa.org
HIPPY is a parent involvement and school readiness program that helps parents of three-, four-, and five-year-old children prepare their children for success in school. HIPPY helps parents empower themselves as their children's first teacher by giving them the tools, skills, and confidence they need to work with their children in the home. The program was designed to bring families, organizations, and communities together and to remove barriers to participation such as limited financial resources or lack of education.
Home Visit Forum Participants: Elisabet Eklind, M. Gayle Hart, Barbara Gilkey, and Diane Powell
Nurse–Family Partnership (NFP) – www.nursefamilypartnership.org
NFP has a threefold approach to improving outcomes for children of economically impoverished families. Using a home visitation delivery model, participating nurses help pregnant women improve their health behaviors and identify potential problems, help parents to provide responsible care for their children, and help families develop a vision for an economically viable future.
Home Visit Forum Participants: David Olds, Patricia Moritz, Ann Jones, David Racine, Anne Mitchell, and Ruth O'Brien
The Parent–Child Home Program (PCHP) – www.parent-child.org
PCHP is a school readiness program serving families challenged by the many obstacles to educational success—poverty, low-levels of education, and language and literacy barriers. In twice-weekly home sessions with parents and their preschool children, home visitors use books and toys which are gifts to the families to model reading and play activities that promote verbal interaction. The program works with primary caregivers to develop children's language and literacy skills and prepare them to enter school ready to succeed.
Home Visit Forum Participants: Sarah Walzer, Dianne Oliver, Michele Morrison, Sarah Jane Corwin, and Jennifer Astuto
Parents as Teachers (PAT) – www.patnc.org
Parents as Teachers is an international parent education and family support program serving families through pregnancy and early childhood until their son or daughter enters kindergarten, usually at age five. PAT is a universally accessible model designed to enhance child development and school achievement through parent education. It includes four components: personal visits; group meetings; developmental, health, hearing, and vision screenings for children; and a connection to a resource network. During personal visits, typically delivered in the home, parent educators share age-appropriate child development information with parents, help them learn to observe their child, address their parenting concerns, and engage the family in activities that provide meaningful parent/child interaction.
Home Visit Forum Participants: Karen Guskin, Sondra Andrews, Sue Sheehan, Sue Stepleton, Lynne Owen, and Clare Eldredge
National Organizations Serving as Resources to the Home Visit Forum
Children's Defense Fund (CDF) – www.childrensdefense.org
The Children's Defense Fund is a policy and advocacy group dedicated to providing a strong voice for all the children of
Home Visit Forum Participants: Mary Lee Allen, Director, Child Welfare and Mental Health Division
Zero to Three – www.zerotothree.org
Since 1977, Zero to Three's multidisciplinary focus has brought together infant and family professionals united the fields of medicine, mental health, research, science, child development, and education. Zero to Three focuses on the needs of the “whole baby” in the context of the family and community. This is accomplished by promoting the discovery and application of new knowledge, stimulating effective services and responsive policies, fostering professional excellence through training and related activities, and inspiring tomorrow's leaders.
Home Visit Forum Participants: Matthew E. Melmed, Executive Director, Early
Home Visit Forum Participants: Naomi Karpe, Director, National Institute of Early Childhood Development and Education