A Parent’s Guide

To the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

A Parent’s Guide

To the Head Start Home-Based Program Option
A Parent’s Guide to the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children and Families

Administration on Children, Youth, and Families

Head Start Bureau 

CONTENTS

PART ONE

The Head Start 

Home-Based Program Option

2 Introducing the Head Start

Home-Based Program Option 

3 Getting Started: Home Visits and

Socializations 

4 The Head Start Family

Partnership Process

6 What You Can Expect During a

Home Visit

6 What You Can Expect During

Socializations 

PA RT TWO

You and Your 

Head Start Home Visitor 

8 Learning from One Another and

Becoming a Team

9 Who Does What 

9 Planning Together 

10 Closing Thoughts 

PA RT THREE

Things You Can Do

11 Turning Everyday Moments 

Into Learning Moments

15 You Are Your Child’s First Teacher

17 There’s No Place Like Your Home

for Learning

21 Make Every Moment Count!

Prepared for the Head Start Bureau, under contract #105-98-2055,

by the Early Head Start National Resource Center @ ZERO TO THREE
You may be the mother or father of a baby

or a toddler in Early Head Start, or you may

be the parent of a Head Start preschooler.

Whatever the age of your child, helping him

or her learn and grow is a big job. It is an

exciting job. It is a hard job. Every mother

and father, every family, can use some support. You can get this support from your

Head Start home-based program and your

home visitor.

If your family is enrolled in our homebased program, this guide is for you. It

includes three parts:

We hope you find this information helpful.

We look forward to working with you.

A Parent’s Guide

To the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Welcome to our Head Start home-based program!

1

2

3

Part One: The Head Start Home-Based

Option describes what a home-based

program is and what you can expect.

Part Two: You and Your Head Start Home

Visitor explores how you and your Head

Start home visitor can work together to

best support your child’s development.

Part Three: Things You Can Do: Turning

Everyday Moments into Learning Moments

offers ideas for how you can help your

child learn day-by-day using objects and

materials in your home regardless

whether you are new to a program or a

long-time participant.

_

“As a parent, you get a say-so about

what’s going on in the program.

Parents make the choices.”

—Mother of a preschooler

“What you learn helps you in your

community, with your family, definitely with your child—and it

makes you feel good about yourself.

—Father of a toddler

1
Introducing the Head Start

Home-Based Option

Imagine your child two years from now, five

years, ten years, as an adult. What do you

want for your child? What do you want

your child to learn? What kind of person do

you want your child to be?

The Head Start home-based program

option was created to help you help your

child reach these goals—and others you

may not have dreamed of yet. We believe in

you! We are here to support you.

Once a week, a home visitor will come to

your home. Your home visit will last 90

minutes. You, your spouse or partner, your

child’s brothers and sisters, and any other

household members can all take part.

You will talk together about your child and

how things are going for your family.

Together, you will plan activities for you to

do with your child during home visits and

during the week between visits. Over time,

as you get to know one another, you will

become partners in helping your child grow

and learn.

Twice a month, you and your child will

meet with other children and parents. You

will have time to get to know one another

and share interesting experiences. Your

home visitor will be there too. We call these

meetings “socializations.”

You can also take part in the program in

other ways. One of the special things about

Head Start is that mothers and fathers are

truly involved. Your program, like every

Head Start program, is designed to meet

the needs of its children, families, and community. Your program will look to you and

other parents for ideas to help shape program policies and experiences for children

and families. To support you in taking an

active part, your program will offer you

training about how programs run and how

group decisions are made.

As a parent of an enrolled child, you are

automatically a member of your program’s

Parent Committee. Through the Parent

Committee, you can help develop curriculum activities that address your child’s

interests and needs and that support your

2

PART ONE:

The Head Start Home-Based

Program Option
child’s education and healthy development.

You can also advise the staff about program

policies, elect representatives to the Policy

Council (see below), and participate in hiring new staff members.

You will be invited to attend parent meetings where you will have a chance to share

your experiences. You can also learn about

topics such as feeding an infant or dealing

with the challenging behaviors of a toddler

or preschooler.

You may want to run for a seat on your program’s Policy Council or Policy Committee.

As a member of this group, you will work

with the agency’s governing body and management staff as well as with other community representatives to make policy decisions and plans about content areas such

as education, health, parent involvement,

and the building of partnerships with families and the community.

Getting Started: 

Home Visits and Socializations

During the first home visit, you, your family, and your home visitor will begin to get

to know one another. You and other family

members will introduce your child. Your

home visitor will introduce him- or herself

and tell you about the program.

Together, you will decide on a regular day

and time for home visits that works for you.

If the time you select is a time when your

spouse or partner or other family members

are not available, then you and your home

visitor will need to think about ways to

share what goes on during home visits with

them. And you will have to remember to ask

for their ideas and questions.

Your home visitor will let you know when

and where socializations will take place.

Some programs may offer transportation. If

not, your home visitor will help you figure

out a way to get to socializations if you do

not have a car or easy access to public

transportation.

If you need to change an appointment or

miss a socialization, for example, because of

illness or a family emergency, please contact your home visitor. You can expect that

he or she will do the same. You can record

important contact information below:

3

Part I

Introducing the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Day and time for home visits: 

Day, time, and place for socializations: 

Contact number for my home visitor: 

|
The Head Start Family

Partnership Process

The family partnership process in Early

Head Start and Head Start takes time. You

and your home visitor will develop this

partnership in a comfortable way that

respects your needs and privacy.

In the first few weeks, your home visitor

will ask you questions as a way of getting

to know you. He or she will ask about your

child’s daily routine, medical history, and

about what foods your child eats. He or she

will ask about your dreams for your child

and family—and about the challenges you

face. He or she will also ask about what

goals you have for your child and family.

Together, you will begin talking about the

support you need to reach your goals. This

talking is the start of a conversation that

will last as long as you are in the program.

If a spouse or partner or other family members cannot be present during home visits,

you can include them in the conversation

by sharing news of home visits with them

and by sharing their thoughts with your

home visitor.

Your goals are the basis of your work

together. Over time, as they may change, so

will the focus of your work.

It is up to you to decide what personal

information you want to share and when.

Many of us find it easier to share dreams

and concerns with someone we know well.

As you get to know your home visitor better, you will likely have more to talk about.

You can rest assured your home visitor will

respect your privacy.

4

Parent’s Guide

Head Start Home-Based Program Option

(

I think one of the things you have to do

is to accept people for who they are,

accept their values.... Let them know

whatever happens, that you’ll be there to

help them.

—A home visitor

Examples of Goals

Every family and child is unique.

Each has different goals. Here are a few

examples of goals:

u Find an apartment with more space

because a new baby is on the way.

u Find a good doctor.

u Get a driver’s license.

u Calm a baby who is always fussy.

u Learn how to handle a toddler who

gets into everything.

u Teach a 4-year-old to dress himself.

ë

(Thanks to my program, I am able to see a

good future for myself completing my

education, to seek a good job, my children

getting a good education and to make

true my husband’s and my dream to get

our own house and be a happy family.

—Mother of three children
5

Part I

Introducing the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Some Things to Think About

Here are some things to think about with family members. Your thoughts may give you

ideas of things you want to share with your home visitor:

We feel good about our family because 

Over the next 3 months, we would like our family to 

Our family is having trouble with 

The best thing about being a parent is 

The hardest thing about being a parent is 

Our baby/toddler/preschooler loves to 

I want my baby/toddler/preschooler to

I want to learn more about 

|
What You Can Expect 

During a Home Visit

The main focus of home visits is your

child’s development. During each visit, an

activity or experience will be presented for

you and your child to enjoy together. To

give you a picture of what to expect, here is

a list of things that usually occur:

u Talking about what happened during the

week;

u Reviewing plans for this week’s activity

or experience;

u Carrying out the activity or experience;

u Talking about how things went;

u Making a plan for next time; and

u Sharing information about program or

community activities.

What You Can Expect 

During Socializations

Socializations are a time when you, your

child, and other parents and their children

come together. In some programs, these

events are also known as “group experiences” or “group time.” These are opportunities to build on the goals you set during

home visits.

During socializations, you will be focused

on different things, depending on your situation:

u If you are the parent of a new baby,

socializations may be a time for you to

hold your baby in your arms and watch

how he or she responds to what is going

on or a time for you to talk with another

new parent. As your child grows, activities you do together such as fingerplays,

singing a song, or playing “roll the ball”

are a chance to get to know your child

better and to have fun together.

u If you are the parent of an infant or toddler, the focus of these group experiences is your relationship with your

child. From birth, babies are aware of

other people and are eager to build relationships. They interact with you by

making eye contact, by smiling, by cooing, by reaching out, and over time, by

talking. As you and your baby participate

in a group, you can learn about how

your baby responds to you and others.

This information will help you make

decisions about how best to respond to

your baby.

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Parent’s Guide

Head Start Home-Based Program Option

“Our home visitor helps us think

about how our baby is doing and

gives us good ideas of things to do

with him.

comes to our home to support us.”

—Mother and father of an infant

She is like a friend who(
u If you are the parent of a preschooler, the

focus of these group experiences is

learning about how your child interacts

with other people. What you learn will

help you figure out ways to support your

child’s social development.

What happens at socializations may vary.

Your home visitor will be there doing group

activities with children. These activities will

give you the chance to learn more about

how your child gets to know and plays with

other children. You will also be able to see

how the staff person guides children’s

behavior (for example, by giving them

choices), and you will get ideas that you

can try at home. Sometimes you and other

parents will be invited to lead activities. At

other times, you and other parents may

have a group discussion with one staff person while another staff person is with the

children.

No matter what your child’s age, group

socializations will give you the chance to

u be out of the house and meet other parents;

u assist in organizing activities, gathering

materials, and preparing snacks;

u share what you know and learn with

other parents and Early Head Start or

Head Start staff members;

u attend presentations about safety, nutrition, discipline, or other topics of interest;

u learn that you are not alone in the challenges and joys of raising a young child;

u share activity ideas and things you learn

with family members; and most important of all,

u strengthen your relationship with your

child.

Part I

Introducing the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

It’s fun. You get to talk with other

parents.

I see him do things that he doesn’t

do at home and it gets me really

excited.

—Mother of a pr

—Mother of an infant

eschooler

(

7
Learning From One Another

and Becoming A Team

You, your family, and your home visitor

have much to learn from one another. You

each bring important but different information to your work together.

You know what is special about your family.

You know your family’s culture. You know

where your family is and where you want

to go. You know your successes. You know

the challenges you face.

You see your child every day in many different situations. Some of the things you have

learned about your child might include

u what your child likes to see, touch, and hear;

u how your child responds when things

get too noisy or confusing;

u your child’s favorite foods, songs, and

activities;

u what makes your child happy, sad,

angry, or excited;

u how best to comfort your child when he

or she is upset; and you also know

u what you want for your child.

Home visitors know how families and children grow and change. They know how to

offer support. They know fun and interesting learning activities that you can do with

your child in your home. They know agencies in your community and how to access

services such as housing, nutrition, and

health.

As you share what you know with your

home visitor, you will both have a clearer

picture of how best to support your family

and child. Sometimes, your work together

will focus on a family need or interest. Most

of the time, it will focus on you and your

child. The purpose of your work is to help

your family reach its goals and help your

child grow to his or her full potential.

As the months go by, you will continue

learning from one another. Sometimes, you

will have questions—so will your home

Do you have other things 

to add?

Parent’s Guide

Head Start Home-Based Program Option

PART TWO: 

You and Your Head Start Home Visitor

(“It helps to know we have support

and somebody cares. Our future

looks brighter here.”

—A father new to this country

“One of the things I love about my job

is that I am always learning from

families. I only hope they learn as

much from me as I do from them.”

—A home visitor

|

8
visitor. Ask them. Learn together. Over time,

you will become a team. And through teamwork, you can make a positive difference in

your child’s life today—and in the future.

Who Does What

As members of any team, each of you has

different responsibilities. During home visits—and, of course, in between—one of your

jobs as a parent is to introduce and share

interesting and fun activities with your

child. You are important to your child, so as

you sing to your baby, build a block tower

with your toddler, or create an obstacle

course for your preschooler, you can help

your child feel good about him- or herself

and excited about learning, and you can

make your relationship even stronger. (See

the section titled You Are Your Child’s First

Teacher on page 13 for more information.)

While you focus on your child, your home

visitor will focus on you. He or she may

focus on you in a variety of ways such as

showing you how you might do an activity

like reading with your infant and toddler, or

bringing a needed ingredient for a recipe

you want to try out with your preschooler.

As you feel ready, your home visitor will

step back, and you will take over.

Sometimes, the home visitor may sit and

watch what you are doing. At other times,

he or she may join in the fun. And he or

she will always be available to listen, ask

questions, learn from you, offer suggestions, provide information, and share the

ups and downs that are part of parenting a

young child.

Planning Together

Planning will be an ongoing part of your

work together. You bring your in-depth

knowledge of your child to the process.

Your home visitor brings his or her experience of planning for many children of a

similar age.

Together, you will share ideas and choose

activities and experiences for you to do

with your child—during home visits and in

between. Don’t be surprised if you find that

your child responds in one way when you

do an activity and in another way with a

different family member. Each relationship

between a child and adult is a special one

and that relationship shapes what happens

between them. You and family members

can learn about doing activities from

watching one another and sharing ideas.

9

Part II

You and Your Head Start Home Visitor

(“Basically now when our home visitor comes, I take over.

—Mother of three children

“When a parent is doing an activity,

I step back. I want them to be in

charge. If they need encouragement

or help, I’ll be there to help them.

—A home visitor
The activities you choose will depend on

u your child’s age;

u your child’s interests;

u your child’s abilities;

u your child’s personality;

u your goals for your child;

u the program’s curriculum; and

u what you and your child will enjoy doing

together.

For example, to help your baby learn and

grow, you might plan to

u sing them a song;

u take a walk outdoors;

u make a mobile to hang over their crib;

u offer your baby a rattle and watch to see

how he or she responds; or

u offer your baby a new finger food; or

For your toddler, you might plan to

u read a story;

u tape some shelf paper to the table and

offer crayons for scribbling;

u do fingerplays together;

u make a snack together; 

u make play dough; or

u make a set of blocks from empty milk

cartons and then build something

together.

For your preschooler, you might plan to

u sort the laundry by color;

u play a matching game;

u make applesauce;

u do a puzzle;

u go outdoors and take a walk, talking

about things you see and hear; or

u cut pictures from a magazine and make

up a story about them together.

Whatever activities you decide on, remember three things:

1. Your home is filled with wonderful

learning materials that will invite your

child’s creativity and discovery.

2. Your home visitor is there to support

you.

3. Have fun!

At the end of each home visit, you and your

home visitor will talk about and record how

the day’s visit went. You may ask yourselves the following questions:

u What went well today?

u What didn’t work so well? For your

child? For you?

u What could you do differently next

time?

You will use this information along with

what you both know about your child and

your program’s curriculum to plan for the

next visit. And the process begins again.

Closing Thoughts

Your home-based program and home visitor are here for you and your family. As you

share questions and information as well as

face challenges and laugh together, you

become a team. While you support your

child, your home visitor supports you. By

working together, you give your child a

good start on the path to success in school

and in life.

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Parent’s Guide

Head Start Home-Based Program Option
11

Turning Everyday Moments into

Learning Moments

The following three resources can be used

on your own or with your home visitor to

explore the many ways that you help your

children learn during your every day routines.

Children are born eager to learn. They want

to know everything. They constantly

explore to find the answers to their many

questions. What happens when I’m hungry

and I cry? Shake this rattle? Kick at the

mobile hanging over the changing table?

Hold my arms out to you? Drop my spoon?

Poke this play dough with my finger? Flush

the toilet? Take another child’s cracker?

Stack this block on top of another one? Mix

red paint with blue? Drop a plastic spoon in

a pan of water, then a metal spoon?

On your home visit, and during the week in

between visits, you have many opportunities to support your child’s learning during

ordinary experiences that happen each day,

such as preparing a meal, walking to the

store, or taking a bath. Use these ideas to

think about the things that you can do

every day to help your children wonder and

learn about their world.

PART THREE: 

Things You Can Do

(“Your home is a natural learning

environment. You can use what you

already have. You don’t have to

spend lots of money for children to

enjoy themselves and learn.”

—A home visitor

“I like to make puzzles out of cardboard. I really can’t afford to buy

them so I make puzzles that show

body parts, different fruits, numbers

... anything that will help her learn.

—Parent of a preschooler
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Parent’s Guide

Head Start Home-Based Program Option
Whether you are new to parenting and

home-based programs or are the parent of

several children who have been in a program for years, you are your child’s first

teacher. Because you are so important to

your child, they pay attention to what you

say and do. They learn by watching and listening to you and other family members

day after day.

But how do you help your child learn? To

discover the answer, look to your own experience.

Think about someone who helped you

learn something new. It could be someone

you knew as a child or met as an adult. This

person should be someone who helped you

feel good to be a learner.

What did you learn? You may have learned

colors and shapes, a song, the alphabet. You

may have learned how to write your name,

ride your bike, tie your shoe. Or perhaps

you learned how to take the subway, drive a

car, bake a cake, program your VCR, or use a

computer.

Think for a few minutes about what this

person did to help you learn. For example,

he or she may have

u planned interesting things for you to see

and do;

u been there when you needed help;

u asked you open-ended questions—questions that have many answers;

u listened to you;

u discovered your interests and figured out

ways to help you learn more about

them;

u kept you safe;

u given you enough time to explore;

u been patient if you spilled something or

made a mistake; or

u been happy and excited with you when

you discovered something new.

You can help your child learn by doing

these same things. Some you may already

do. Others may be new ideas that you want

to try. Your home visitor can help you discover what works best for you and your

child.

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A Parent’s Guide to the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Parent Resource #1

“T

of his child. There is nobody that

has a better connection with y

child.”

he parent is the primary educator

—Father of a preschooler

our(

You Are Your Child’s First Teacher: 

How You Help Your Children Learn
14

Parent’s Guide

Head Start Home-Based Program Option

You may want to do this 

exercise with any other family 

members in your home. How were your

experiences the same or different from

each other? 

| Add any other thoughts about 

ways to help someone learn: |
Your child learns about him- or herself,

other people, and the surrounding world

every day. For your child, everyday

moments—getting dressed, preparing a

meal, setting the table, taking a walk, taking a bath, reading a book—are learning

moments. They are filled with interesting

things to see, touch, smell, hear, taste,

explore, and do. For example, let’s look at

what your child might learn from getting

dressed (see box below).

Your home is filled with interesting things

to see and do for your infant, toddler, or

preschooler. Things that are fun and can

help them learn are right there in your own

kitchen, living room, closet, and even the

garage.

Some of these (as you will see in the chart

on the next page) can be turned into fine

toys and materials to explore and learn

from. But be aware; others can be dangerous. These dangerous items include glass

bottles, toys or other objects such as balloons and marbles that can cause choking,

plastic bags that can cause suffocation, and

cleaning solutions or medicines that can

turn into poisons in a child’s hands.

Remember, young children are curious and

A Parent’s Guide to the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Parent Resource #2

15

When you: 

Hold your baby securely but gently as you

change a wet shirt

Talk with your baby about what you are doing;

pause and listen when he or she coos and

babbles back 

Play peek-a-boo as you pull your toddler’s

shirt over his or her head 

Let your toddler decide between wearing red

pants and the green pants with flowers

Hang a hook at child level so your preschooler

can hang up his or her coat 

Start the zipper on your preschooler’s jacket

but let him or her finish pulling it up 

Your child might be learning:

I can trust you to keep me comfortable. I can

trust you to keep me safe.

People take turns listening and talking when

they talk with each other.

People still exist even though I can’t see them.

You respect me. What I want matters. I can

decide.

I am a helper. I can hang up my coat all by

myself.

I can do it! When I need a little help, I can

count on you.

Getting Dressed

There’s No Place Like Your Home 

for Learning: How Children Learn From Everyday Moments
tend to get into everything. To make your

home “child safe,” you and your home visitor should do an inspection tour, identify

hazards, and eliminate or correct them.

Making your home safe is an important

way to help your child learn.

Look at how many things children of different ages can do and learn with three simple, safe, everyday objects: old magazines, a

pot and wooden spoon, and a large cardboard box.

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Parent’s Guide

Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Household Object

Old magazines

A pot and wooden

spoon 

A large cardboard box

Your infant might:

Learn the world is an

interesting place when

you cover a pretty picture with contact

paper and hang it by

his or her changing

table.

Feel confidence and

think, “I can do it!”

when he or she makes

a loud sound by banging the spoon on the

pot.

Begin to learn that you

will still be there when

they crawl in and out

of the box and find

you are still there

watching.

Your toddler might:

Learn new words as

you talk together

about what you see.

Feel proud to be like

you when he or she

pretends to stir and

make dinner.

Learn about reading

and writing when you

work together to turn

the box into a house

and then you write his

or her name on the

front door.

Your preschooler

might:

Learn about colors as

he or she cuts out

pictures of things

that are blue, then

things that are red.

Learn language skills

when he or she uses

the pictures to illustrate stories that he

or she makes up.

Learn about measuring and mixing when

he or she helps you

make play dough.

Develop imagination

and learn about new

places when you help

him or her turn the

box into a car and

take a pretend trip.
17

A Parent’s Guide to the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Parent Resource #2

Write down some of the ideas you have about things in your home that your 

children like to play with and what you think they may be learning during 

their play:

|
18

Parent’s Guide

Head Start Home-Based Program Option
u Make your home child-safe. Young children learn by touching, tasting and

doing. They depend on you to keep them

safe. Always keep your eyes open for

possible dangers and eliminate them.

For example, cover electrical outlets,

install safety gates on stairways, secure

windows, store harmful household products and medicines out of reach, lock

entrance doors, be sure smoke detectors

are installed and working, keep emergency numbers by the telephone, and

have a backup plan if your phone isn’t

available.

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A Parent’s Guide to the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Parent Resource #3

Make a list of some of the

things you can do to make 

your home safer for your children:

Make a plan with your home visitor to

accomplish these tasks.

|

Make Every Moment Count! 

Four tips to help you turn everyday moments and objects at home 

into rich learning opportunities for your child
u Look at everyday things and events

through the eyes of your child. What

might your child see, touch, taste, hear,

smell, and do? What might your child

learn? Everyday experiences can give

your child a wonderful chance to explore

and learn.

u Take time to enjoy everyday routines

and happenings. Take time to pop the

soap bubbles in the bathtub, watch a

bird in a tree, and listen to the sounds

outside your window.

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Parent’s Guide

Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Think about something you 

did with your child today and 

what he or she might have learned from

the experience and describe it here:

Would you do anything different next time?

| How does your routine change 

when you slow down and 

follow your child’s pace? 

|
u Talk with your child about what you are

seeing and doing. Use interesting and

fun words. Play with language. When you

say things like, “Your shirt is as green as

the grass,” and “This pineapple has a

prickly skin,” you invite your child to

enjoy and use language with you.

21

A Parent’s Guide to the Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Parent Resource #3

Write down some of the new 

words your child is using,

or some of the interesting or 

funny things he or she has said:

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22

Parent’s Guide

Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Use this space for additional notes. |
23

Parent’s Guide

Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Use this space for additional notes. |
24

Parent’s Guide

Head Start Home-Based Program Option

Use this space for additional notes. |