As a former Head Start teacher I know from personal experience that Home Visits can be very challenging. Organizing, preparing for, and conducting home visits can be exhausting and overwhelming.
Teachers have many questions and concerns when conducting home visits such as:
What questions should I ask the parents?
What if I am uncomfortable or scared?
How can I prepare for home visits?
How long should a typical home visit last?
Should I bring anything for the children?
Home Visit Help
Here are some things to keep in mind when conducting home visits:
Have an activity for the child to do while you meet with the family. Paper and crayons work well, then you can keep the picture the child drew and hang it up in the classroom for the first day of school.
Student Information: Use a form to gather important information from the parents.
Student Profile: Use a form to find out about any concerns the parent may have about the child but might not know how to address. Include questions covering a wide variety of areas such as behavior and developmental delays.
Have a schedule and stick to it. It’s easy to get behind on home visits, so be sure to set the expectation for time up front so you won’t be late to your next home. A general rule of thumb is no more than 30 minutes per visit.
