Home visiting is typically linked to early childhood or early intervention programs for new parents and young children. In many of these programs, specially trained professional or lay home visitors meet individually with new parents and their children to provide information on the child's health, education, and development; links to resources within the community; and friendly support for parenting concerns. Effective home visiting of parents of young child helps reduce the need for emergency medical care and the use of government services such as food stamps, and increase confidence in parenting abilities, and a parent's ability to become economically independent (Behrman, 1993, pp. 84-85). In addition, some educators are learning that home visits can help families with older children by improving communication between parents and teachers and easing school transitions such as the transition between middle school and high school.

For the past three years, Oregon High School located in Oregon, Illinois, has dedicated time for several members of its staff-including teachers, the principal, and the vice-principal-to visit the home of every incoming freshman. The program began when it became clear that parents and students needed more information than they had previously received about the high school such as courses available, student organizations and activities, and school policies. It was decided that the most effective way to be certain that every family received information was for staff members to "hand carry" a packet of information and provide a home visit to every freshman student's home. Two of the most notable benefits that staff members have observed are increased self-confidence among incoming students and increased participation of parents in their child's school.

Kathleen Hughes coordinates Oregon's Parent Connection, the local parent and family center that serves the entire community. Hughes says that the high school home visiting program has been active for three years, and parents anticipate and enjoy the home visits. Hughes feels that because so many key staff members at Oregon High School are involved, including the school's principal, the home visiting program is particularly useful in building partnerships and communication. When staff members visit parents at their homes, parents feel more relaxed about sharing some of their concerns and feelings regarding their child's transition into secondary school. Only when an unexpectedly large freshman class caused them to fall behind schedule did staff members become fully aware of the positive impact of their visits. Parents began calling the school to arrange the home visit because they were concerned that their family had been overlooked. Staff members reassured the parents that their family had not been forgotten and that their visit would be scheduled shortly.

Some of the materials that are combined in the packets distributed at the home visits include:
· Parent involvement and parent leadership organizations and activities
· Family and youth help hotlines
· Listings of local support groups
· Responsibilities of parents who chaperone a youth party or activity
· Descriptions of student activities and clubs
· Photographs and information about Oregon High School staff
· School calendar and important dates
· Daily high school schedule
· Map of the high school
· Planning guide for the student's future after graduation

Another nice addition to the packet is a listing of school policies written in a friendly format that describes some of the reasons for a rule or policy. For example, the issue of school attendance is discussed in the context of helping the student learn appropriate work habits including punctuality, reliability, and dependability. It also notes the relationship between attendance and school performance, indicating that higher attendance generally correlates with higher school success. Exceptions to the school attendance policies are also clearly noted.

Organizing the home visiting for the incoming freshman class at Oregon High School may initially be time consuming. However, Hughes and the staff feel that, as with most preventative efforts, the benefits pay off over the next four years through increased understanding and confidence of both parents and students as they become engaged in the secondary school experience.

For More Information:
Home visiting: Bridging the gap between the family and the community
http://npin.org/pnews/pnew797/pnew797c.html
Schools and communities: Looking beyond the classroom
http://npin.org/pnews/pnewd97/pnewd97h.html
The parent difference: Uniting school, family, and community
http://npin.org/books/barcla96.html
Home visiting: Promoting healthy parent and child development
http://npin.org/pnews/1998/pnew498/pnew498k.html
Source
Behrman, Richard E. (Ed.).(1993). Homevisiting [Special Issue]. Future of Children 3(3).