The Home Visitor's Manual: Tools and Strategies for Effective Interactions with Family Child Care Providers

Woodward, a family child care licenser and director of curriculum development at a care training institute, and Hurley, a director of children's care services and curriculum at a care training institute, offer a manual for home visitors that describes the skills needed to perform duties in family child care settings such as inspection, monitoring, evaluations, support, accountability, technical assistance, and investigation. Thirteen modules are aimed at licensers, social workers, early intervention professionals, food program monitors, family child care system representatives, child development associated monitors, and accreditation or environmental rating scale observers, and address strateies for communication, documentation, time management, workplace safety, assertiveness, motivation, ethics, understanding the law, note taking, safety, and other aspects, with case studies for each. There is no index. (Annotation 2010 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Book News Inc.

This handbook is for any professional who visits homes where licensed child care takes place, including licensers, social workers, early intervention professionals, food program monitors, family child care system representatives, Head Start and CDA monitors, and accreditation and environmental rating scale observers. Thirteen modules help home visitors learn important skills, such as good communication techniques, time management, and efficient documentation. The authors introduce principles of adult learning, provide guidance on how to motivate others, and offer strategies for developing a personal style of relating that balances respect and sensitivity to the family child care provider with firmness in discussing the provider’s role to protect and care for the children. They address the practicality of developing plans for your own personal safety. Each module includes case studies that demonstrate specific skills applied in real-life examples. Useful checklists help the home visitor prepare for and follow up on home visits. The authors draw from their extensive experience in licens- ing family child care providers and conducting training for providers, parents, and home visitors to highlight areas often overlooked in similar handbooks for home visitors—those parts of the job that are especially difficult and challenging.
News Books column of the July 2010 issue of Young Children

This manual is very user friendly; it’s easy and quick to read, has wonderful case studies and covers a multitude of experience examples that are, unfortunately, familiar to most of us. It reflects the best practices

NACCRRA promotes during home visits and it reflects a three day training Iowa consultants attended last summer, delivered by Dr. Sue Hegland and Leisia Oestereich from ISU. It’s well written and I feel beneficial to all home consultants in our region.