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Parent-Child Home Program: Palm Beach

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

PCHP assists families challenged by poverty, limited education, and language and literacy barriers in preparing their young children to succeed in school. Each family is matched with a Home Visitor, who visits the family for 30 minutes twice a week. During each session, the Home Visitor models verbal interaction, reading, and play activities, showing the parents how to use books and toys to help their children build language and literacy skills in preparation for school.

This program is locally funded by the Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County.

Goal / Mission

To prepare children of disadvantaged families for academic success and to strengthen families through intensive home visiting.

Impact

The Parent-Child Home Program builds school readiness, starting from the home. PCHP utilizes a non-directive, in-home modeling approach that encourages children's development, builds meaningful relationships between parents and children, and allows underserved families to access educational early-childhood services.

Results / Accomplishments

This program strengthens the parent-child relationship and helps young children increase their language and literacy skills, as well as improve their social-emotional development.

A multi-site, longitudinal, location-randomized evaluation of Parent-Child Home Program participants found that, as of third grade, there was a statistically significant reduction in the need for special ed classes for Parent-Child Home Program graduates as compared to controls (14% vs. 39%).

A longitudinal randomized control group study of The Parent-Child Home Program found that low-income children who completed two years of the Program went on to graduate from high school at the rate of middle class children nationally, a 20% higher rate than their socio-economic peers, and 30% higher than the control group in the community (p<0.05).

During the 2010-2011 year, the Palm Beach County Parent-Child Home Program conducted more than 7,860 home visits with 264 families and distributed more than 1,300 books and toys. Following participation in the program, 100% of families increased positive verbal interaction and 100% of children increased positive behaviors.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County
Primary Contact
Cobi Dunn - Director of Parent-Child Home Program
The Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County
3651 Quantum Blvd.
Boynton Beach, FL 33426
561-767-3361
cdunn@literacypbc.org
http://www.literacypbc.org/parent-child-home/
Topics
Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education
Education / Literacy
Community / Social Environment
Organization(s)
Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County
Source
Parent Child Home Program National
Geographic Type
Urban
Location
Palm Beach
For more details
Target Audience
Children, Families
Submitted By
Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County
Lakelands Counts