Home Visit Quality Variations in Two Early Head Start Programs in Relation to Parenting and Child Vocabulary Outcomes

Abstract

Home‐visiting programs aiming to improve early child development have demonstrated positive outcomes, but processes within home visits to individual families are rarely documented. We examined family‐level variations in the home‐visiting process (N = 71) from extant video recordings of home visits in two Early Head Start programs, using an observational measure of research‐based quality indicators of home‐visiting practices and family engagement, the Home Visit Rating Scales (HOVRS). HOVRS scores, showing good interrater agreement and internal consistency, were significantly associated with parent‐ and staff‐reported positive characteristics of home visiting as well as with parenting and child language outcomes tested at program exit. When home‐visiting processes were higher quality during the program, home visit content was more focused on child development, families were more involved in the overall program, and most important, scores on measures of the parenting environment and children's vocabulary were higher at the end of the program. Results showed that home visit quality was indirectly associated with child language outcomes through parenting outcomes. Observation ratings of home visit quality could be useful for guiding program improvement, supporting professional development, and increasing our understanding of the links between home‐visiting processes and outcomes.

Examining program quality in early childhood home visiting: From infrastructure to relationships

“…In an analysis of two Early Head Start programs, Roggman et al. () showed that HOVRS ratings relate to some elements of program quality (family involvement), but not to others (amount of program contact).…”

“…Recent work by Roggman et al. (), for example, has suggested that home visitors who were observed to engage in higher quality practice had families with higher parenting and child language scores. Peterson et al.…”

Observing home‐visiting quality across time: A longitudinal reliability study of the Home Visit Rating Scales

“…Evidence of stability in this study could underscore the complexity of enhancing quality over time. Recent research has demonstrated the interface of quality (i.e., the HOVRS) with home‐visitors’ strategies (i.e., observing, modeling, coaching parent–child interactions) as well as with the duration of joint, child‐development‐focused activity involving home visitors, parents, and children (Peterson et al., 2018; Roggman et al., ). Two implications emerge from these collective findings.…”

“…Recent research has taken a detailed view of the links between the quality of home visitor–parent alliances and child outcomes, demonstrating that higher quality breeds effective home‐visiting practices for promoting parenting that effectively facilitates children's development (Roggman et al., ). Peterson et al.…”

“…Since the first introduction of the HOVRS by Roggman, Boyce, and Innocenti (), the scale has undergone modifications to its wording and rating scales (i.e., Hallgren, Boller, & Paulsell, ; Roggman et al., ), but it has maintained its multidimensional structure (see Roggman et al., this issue) . Numerous studies have investigated the reliability of the HOVRS, producing largely favorable results when assessed at a single point in time (DOHVE, 2012; Hallgren et al., ; Roggman et al., ). A repeated cross‐sectional study of a prior HOVRS (Hallgren et al., ) was conducted within a large‐scale, multisite study of the federally funded Early Head Start (EHS) home‐visiting program: The Baby Family and Child Experiences Survey (Baby FACES) project (see Vogel et al., ; Vogel et al., , 2015b).…”