Home Instruction for Parents and Preschool Youngsters

Local governments can invest in this strategy using State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

  • This strategy can help promote healthy childhood environments and address educational disparities. The U.S. Department of Treasury has indicated that strategies that help achieve these outcomes are eligible for the use of Fiscal Recovery Funds.
  • Investments in this strategy are SLFRF-eligible as long as they are made in qualified census tracts or are designed to assist populations or communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Program overview

  • Home-based parent training on school readiness
  • Provides parents with a curriculum and a set of books and materials to build cognitive and early literacy skills and social, emotional, and physical development
  • Materials include 30 weekly activity packets, a set of books, and 20 manipulative shapes for each year

Evidence and impacts

Proven

Ranked as having the highest level of evidence by the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare

  • Improved school readiness outcomes and higher demonstrated achievements in school
  • Improved home literacy environments and increased parent involvement in children’s academic learning
  • Reports from parents that they spend more time reading to their children
  • Higher achievement scores in reading, math and social studies in third, fifth, and sixth grades

Best practices in implementation

  • Note: This content is under review
  • Engage with home-based child care providers to learn about community needs, challenges, and adaptations to the curriculum.
  • Consider pooling resources for cost efficiency and to maximize benefits to families.
  • Train program facilitators to encourage program fidelity and efficient delivery during home visitations and other engagement with parents.
  • Recruit multilingual providers to communicate with parents in their preferred language.

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