(HFA)
First 5 LA has invested in 11 organizations that implement the Healthy Families America home visiting model in the following Best Start communities: Broadway/Manchester; Compton; El Monte; Long Beach/Wilmington; Metro Los Angeles; Lancaster and Palmdale.
WHO ARE THEY?
- HFA is a national and voluntary home visiting program that works with families and their children.
- Home Visitors work with families to provide valuable information, support, and services in the home if parents choose this service..
- A HFA Home Visitor will work with a family and their newborn to make sure their baby gets the best possible start.
- Each Home Visitor has:
- Received intensive training in the HFA model including conducting family assessments and home visits.
- Received training in areas such as cultural competency, substance abuse, reporting child abuse, domestic violence, drug-exposed infants, and referring families to services in their community.
- Experience working with culturally diverse communities and with at-risk families.
- Received ongoing, effective supervision so they are able to develop realistic and effective plans to empower families to meet their goals and objectives.
WHAT DO THEY DO?
- HFA Home Visitors work with families to help build on the parenting skills they already have.
- Families that receive home visits, such as those provided by the HFA model, have children with better long-term physical and mental health.
- Home Visitors will be able to work with families until the child is 3 or 5 years old.
- During home visits, Home Visitors will meet with families to provide information and support in areas such as:
- Knowing the best way to care for yourself and your baby;
- Tips for soothing a crying baby;
- Important nutrition information so family’s can improve their knowledge about how to feed their baby;
- Helping create a safe “baby-proof” home;
- Recognizing a baby’s needs;
- Discovering what to expect as a child grows;
- Ways to play with a baby to encourage development;
- Developmental screenings; and
- Helping families work on life goals they want to achieve
HOW DOES IT WORK?
- An HFA Home Visitor meets with a family weekly until the baby is 6 months old to provide support during these critical first months of life.
- Once the baby is 6 months old, the Home Visitor works with family’s to determine how often to meet based on their family’s needs. Often, as time progresses, the home visitor will reduce the number of visits per month.
- The Home Visitor works with families to meet at a time that works best for them.
Parents as Teachers (PAT)
First 5 LA has invested in 9 organizations that implement the Parents as Teachers home visitation model in the following Best Start communities: Broadway/Manchester; Compton; Watts/Willowbrook; West Athens; El Monte; Pacoima; Panorama City; Lancaster and Palmdale.
WHO ARE THEY?
- PAT is a national and voluntary home visiting program that works with families and their children.
- “Parent Educators” work with families to provide valuable information, support, and provide services in the home if the parent chooses this service.
- Each Parent Educator has:
- At least 2 years of experience working with young children and/or parents;
- Has completed the required PAT model implementation training;
- Receives supportive reflective supervision to continue to strengthen their skills as a Parent Educator; and
- Participates in competency-based professional development and trainings throughout their career.
WHAT DO THEY DO?
- PAT provides parenting information and education to family’s to help build on parenting skills family’s already have.
- Parent Educators are dedicated to the success and health of each family.
- Home Visitors are able to work with families until the child is 3 or 5 years old.
- Families receive personal visits from a certified parent educator who gives individualized information that is specific to their child’s age. Families receive information on topics such as:
- Child Development
- Tips on activities that will help their baby grow and best develop
- What to expect from their child as he/she gets older
- Ways to support and encourage their baby’s growth and development
- Well-child screenings, including vision, hearing, and development so any problems can be identified and treated early
HOW DOES IT WORK?
- A Parent Educator meets with a family at least twice a month to provide family support during the critical first years of life.
- The Home Visitor works with the family to meet at a time that works for them and their family.
- The Home Visitor helps identify and connect the family to any needed resources.
- PAT also provides families with the opportunity meet with other parents once a month. These monthly meetings allow parents to talk to other parents in their community about their concerns and share ideas and experiences about parenting.
Positive Parenting Program (Triple P)
First 5 LA has invested in 1 organization implementing the Triple P home visitation model, Child and Family Guidance Center, serving both the Pacoima and Panorama City Best Start Communities.
WHO ARE THEY?
- Triple P stands for “Positive Parenting Practices.” The program is a nationally recognized parenting program that is used in more than 24 countries.
- Triple P is a brief program with the goal of helping parents increase their knowledge, skills, and confidence as parents.
- This program will help with the challenging behaviors a family experiences with a child between the ages of 2 and 5.
- Triple P gives support to manage older child’s behavior and prevent stresses which may happen when there is a newborn.
- All Triple P trainers are:
- Extensively trained in the Triple P programs
- Have at least a Master’s in education or clinical psychology.
WHAT DO THEY DO?
- Triple P provides families with services and information that are individualized to their situation.
- The home visitor provides information and support to help a family be able to talk to one another and work problems out together as a family.
- Triple P specializes in assisting parents to communicate to one another more effectively and work through challenging times to make sure families are safe.
- The home visitor provides helpful parenting tips and tactics on ways to encourage good behavior and prevent or handle behavior that may cause problems.
- Triple P teaches parents useful and successful ways to handle common problems such as:
- Tantrums
- Meal time and bed time difficulties
- Disobedience
- Hurting others
HOW DOES IT WORK?
- Visits with Triple P last about 10 weeks.
- Families work with the home visitor to set their own goals and work out what changes they would like to see in their child’s behaviors.
- Families learn strategies to use and adapt to meet their needs.
