Baby face qualitative Evaluation

 
Baby FACE 
Wilder Research, January 2015 
 
Qualitative Evaluation 
21 
I think more visits would be a lot better also because children tend to lose interest in what they’re 
being taught. They get side tracked real quick. If you keep doing the same activity with them for 2 
weeks, they don’t want to do it anymore. More visits, more activities, more learning. 
Parents had few comments on the length of visits, with several noting that the parent visit took as 
much time as needed, whether it was 30 minutes or two hours. Three parent educators mentioned 
feeling rushed for time to complete a full visit according to the curriculum. Some parents noted 
that a parent educator would follow-up if they were unable to complete a visit in the allotted 
time.
Consistent scheduling
Most of the challenges related to conducting home visits are noted in the section above on 
overall challenges related to transportation, scheduling, and lack of trust.
To overcome these issues, seven parent educators and four supervisors noted the success of 
having consistent schedules with families. That assisted parent educators in logistically planning 
visits, but was also easier for parents to know when their scheduled visit was. Overtime, as 
parent educators consistently showed up at the same time, parents became more comfortable and 
prepared for their home visits.
Consistent visits; keeping the dates with them. That you will come every other Wednesday at a 
specific time, for example, so they could plan things around that.
That was the strategy I took.
My strategy was keeping my schedule. I scheduled them on week one and a week two basis. I give 
them a calendar every time I visit, [with the dates of] when I will come again, and when the Family 
Circle is. Then they know that I am showing up that day. It reminds them. And when I do come, it is 
always a good visit with the families. They just kind of keep the schedule with me. If I am not going 
to be there, I contact them and let them know, and then reschedule with them. I think that 
scheduling really, really works.
Parents at two sites also reported that having a consistent day and time made it easy for families 
to plan and accommodate the parent educators’ visits, whether it was cleaning the house or 
preparing children that she would be coming. 
Flexibility
Parents in three sites noted they did not want to meet in their home, and the parent educator was 
flexible to schedule meetings at the office location or another public location. This flexibility 
was another way parent educators could build relationships
with families.
I actually do not meet in my home. I work at the school, so [parent educator] works with me to meet 
somewhere so I don’t have to run all the way home when it would be crazy to do that at my home. 

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