Spring Blooms

Argghh can anyone believe the wonderful weather we are having lately? Its absolutely gorgeous and with it I feel uplifted and hopeful. This is my last summer before I graduate and I'm dead set on making it a busy one. I'll be taking a summer (finishing my last GER!!) class, so seriously people, if possible finish all GERs before junior year. But I am now also looking  for a public health program and there seems to be a really promising one in Brooklyn. I'll blog more about it later if all goes through but I'm super excited! I'll also be returning for another summer after working a year at NYU's Child and Family Policy Center. I have to say I'm amazed by the work that is done at the center and honored to be a part of their research. So here's a summary for anyone who is interested.

Home visitation programs have been around since the 1800's and the idea behind their success is how they can be tailored to a family's needs. It can be difficult for low families to receive center based services for a multitude of reasons, e.g. monetary costs and distance. However, imagine if the service can be brought to a family on a more continuous basis. The impact would be much greater if the family has a constant presence available to them. Thus the Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) is a home visitation program that focuses on school readiness and parenting to foster educational play and parent-child relationships. Children from 2-3 years of age receive a home visitor twice a week, who brings toys, books, and blocks to engage parent and child in educational activities. The outcomes are a long term impact on the child's development. For example, Allen, Sethi & Astuto (2007) found that children in PCHP programs were at a higher risk for school failure due to low household income and parental education. Therefore, home visitation programs served as an intervention to insure that these children enter school with the same readiness as their other peers. The work at the center is devoted to these families in Brooklyn and Queens, whose children have graduated from the program and are in Pre-K or Kindergarden. The role of the researcher is to evaluate the program using various child and parent measures. But in addition, it is an opportunity to learn more about these communities and families. Every time I head out its an adventure to a different corner of NY with these amazingly smart and cute children that impact my own perspectives on life. 

Allen, L.,Sethi, A.,Astuto, J.(2007). An Evaluation of Graduates of a Toddlerhood Home Visiting Program at Kindergarten Age. HNHD:NHSA Dialog, 10(1). 36-57.