Creating a Video Library to Support Parent-Child Interactions and Home Visiting Practices

Abstract

Early childhood home visiting is a service for infants and young children that aims to promote improved family relationships, advance school readiness, reduce child maltreatment, improve maternal outcomes, and decrease family economic hardships (Duffee et al, 2017). Home visiting programs highlight the wide range of family needs that result from and are related to adverse early experiences in children that could affect their lifelong health (Feletti et al., 1998). These programs work with young children, children with special health care needs, parents of young children, and the relationships between the parents and the children. They often focus on serving populations who face specific challenges like families with adolescent mothers and single or first-time parents (Duffee et al, 2017). Most of these programs are preventative and use a 2-generation approach that positively impacts children and family outcomes by improving interactions between parents and children. HVs may use intervention strategies, such as mentoring, coaching, and other interventions, as needed by the different families. One key difference between the ways HVs interact with their clients compared to other intervention models is that sessions occur in the family's home, which takes advantage of a more natural and comfortable setting for the client, guardian, and home visitor. When families are served within their own homes, it helps balance the power dynamic that could be had between the family and the HV. As relationships are formed, caregivers’ willingness to gain trust and break down some of the walls or barriers they have withheld will likely result in positive outcomes. The positive outcomes can include being more open-minded to trying new things and being mindful of fulfilling meaningful reflections (McKelvey et al, 2024). The key to success for home visitors is to get to know the families on a personal level and become familiar with the boundaries they may have or barriers that may arise now or over time, promoting positive changes toward intended future goals. This project stemmed from my interest in home visiting and has shaped my professional goals. I developed an aligned video library with my training on using the PICCOLO and HOVRS-3. Through this process, I gained valuable insights into how structured coaching tools can enhance the quality of PCIs and home visitor practices. The first stages of the project involved participating in virtual training on the PICCOLO and HOVRS-3 tools. Each training course included four two-hour sessions a week apart, facilitated by Dr. Gina Cook. I could not attend a few sessions, so Dr. Hughes-Belding provided supplemental training using the official training materials. I then used that information to make a video library of short clips that exemplified the different scale domains of the PICCOLO and HOVRS-3 that trainers can use to support home visitors. The video library includes an Excel document with clip ID numbers, time stamps, associated domain information, and a rationale for how the clip represents the domain.