Professional Development To Improve Parent-Child Interaction Observation For Early Intervention Home Visitors

Children who experience positive and nurturing interactions with parents in infancy and early childhood develop healthy and secure attachments and are significantly better prepared to succeed in school (Connell & Prinz, 2002; Pianta et al., 1997). The absence of such care can lead to long-term physical and emotional health challenges such as anxiety and depression throughout life. Parents served by home visiting programs often include the most at-risk families who are struggling to meet their children’s most basic needs for food, housing, safety, and care, which can disrupt them from providing the positive interaction needed for children’s early relational health (Bernard et al., 2015). Early intervention home visitors can observe parent-child interaction and use the results to help families plan for and engage in positive interaction with their children. This mixed-methods study aimed to explore the impact of professional development activities on home visitors’ capacity and confidence in observing and addressing the quality of parent-child interaction within home settings as part of regular home visits.The Parent-Child Interaction Observation for Early Intervention Home Visitors pre- and post-assessments were distributed across six Michigan early intervention programs and completed by 13 of the 17 enrolled study participants pre and post. At post, additional open-ended satisfaction questions were added to the assessment and completed by thirteen participants. Several themes emerged through the mixed-methods study, including the importance of hands-on practice and feedback to warrant home visitors’ practice change, the critical need to leverage diverse learning opportunities to best support adult learners, and the importance of engaging early adopters who volunteer their time and have the will to participate.