Paraprofessionals Revisited and Reconsidered

First-Year Early Childhood Special Education Teachers and Their Assistants: “Teaching along with Her”

“…Paraprofessionals serving school-age children are often assigned to small groups or individual children with disabilities (Bill, 2003;Drecktrah, 2000;Friend & Cook, 2003). Although such assignments also occur at the preschool level, many paraprofessionals in early childhood programs work as assistant teachers and therapists, home visitors, or child-care providers (Hans & Korfmacher, 2002;Musick & Stott, 2000). Thus, the content covered in orientation and professional development activities is somewhat dependent on the particular position the paraprofessional assumes.…”

“…Sometimes parents work as paraprofessionals in such roles as service providers or coordinators. The goal is to develop strong relationships with the families being served by employing individuals from the same community or cultural background who have experienced similar life situations, such as poverty, teen pregnancy, or single parenthood (Hans & Korfmacher;Musick & Stott, 2000;Striffler, 1993). In such circumstances the qualities of the paraprofessional can ideally complement those of the professional and can provide an element of social validity to the program (Striffler, 1993).…”

The Keys to Interactive Parenting Scale (KIPS): A Practical Observational Assessment of Parenting Behavior

“…Since programs are increasingly using paraprofessionals (Eggbeer, Mann, & Gilkerson, 2003;Musick & Stott, 2000), one aim in the development of the tool was to generate an instrument appropriate for paraprofessionals to use. In the field test, we found that paraprofessionals were indistinguishable from professionals in leaming to score KIPS reliably, and both were able to use the tool reliably with caregivers they serve.…”

“…The expected outcomes of this teaching are more knowledgeable and confident caregivers who demonstrate more nurhuing parenting behavior. Home visiting programs report that positive engagement between staff and family powerfully motivates caregivers to develop strong caregiver-child relationships, associated with parenting knowledge and skills (Musick & Stott, 2000), and child cognition and language (Farran, 2000). Engagement builds rapport that facilitates caregivers' learning of developmental milestones, developmentally appropriate interactions, and stimulating experiences for their children (Brooks-GUM et al, 2000;Erickson & Kurz-Reimer, 1999;Kelly & Bamard, 2000).…”

Community Involvement in Adapting and Testing a Prevention Program for Preschoolers Living in Urban Communities: ParentCorps

“…Community members who share similar economic, cultural and community characteristics as targeted parents may be better equipped than professional staff to develop trusting relationships with parents from their own neighborhoods due to familiarity with community history and concerns, and greater identification with culture or ethnic group membership (Musick & Stott, 2000;Musser-Granski & Carrillo, 1997). Community members trained as paraprofessionals may also help to "reduce social distance" (Hiatt, Sampson, & Baird, 1997) by identifying barriers to participation and assisting with development of strategies to overcome them.…”