Support/FAQs

Introduction Letter to Families

Dear Families,

Greetings! Our school is participating in an exciting School to Home Visit Program this year. The mission of the program is to create a meaningful partnership between our families and the school. We believe that by working and communicating together we can make your child’s school experience a successful one.

A colleague and I would like to visit your home so that we can get the chance to know each other and talk about your hopes and dreams for your child. We would also

like to share with you what we have planned for this school year. 

We will be contacting you by phone to set up an appointment. We would like to come during the summer before school begins. I will contact you by phone to set up a half hour visit. This fall, we will invite you to a Family Night at your child’s school. We will send more information about that Family Night to you this fall.

We look forward to seeing you and your family! Please let me know if you have any questions. We are looking forward to building a meaningful partnership with you to make your child’s school experience a successful one!

Sincerely,

Compensation

Don't forget that if your staff doesn't fill out the Google Form, the visit didn't happen (at least from a payment standpoint).

In alignment with our district's Collective Bargaining Agreement: 4.3 Compensation for Extra Duties

Home Visits (20-30 minute visit to a student’s home outside of contracted hours) will be paid at the rate of $25.00 per visit and $10.00 for each scheduled visit “no show”.  Virtual Home Visits (if approved due to need) are paid at the rate of $20.00 and are not eligible for “no show” compensation. 

Questions and Answers

Q:  What if there is no telephone?

A:  Send a note home with the child requesting an appointment.

Q:  What if the parent/family wants the child (or the child wants) to sit in on the home visit?

A:  Absolutely fine.  Whatever the parent wants to do is OK.

Q:  How do I dress for the home visit?

A:  Dress is business casual with nice slacks, no blue jeans, and staff polo shirt with school logo.  Jewelry should be kept to a minimum.  It is recommended that valuables, including jewelry and wallet, are locked in your car prior to arriving at the home for the visit.

Q:  What if the parent cancels at the last minute?

A:  Resist the temptation to assume that the parent does not want to meet with you and make another appointment.  Sometimes you just have to be patient and persistent.

Q:  What if the parent repeatedly cancels your appointment?

A:  Talk to your principal and brainstorm some ways to work with that parent.  You might encourage them to attend a family event, or just wait a while and try scheduling a visit in a few months.

Q:  What if you go and the parent isn’t there, or doesn’t answer the door?

A:  Leave the “Not Home Letter”  under the door and later call to make another appointment.  (It is a violation of the U.S. Postal code to leave anything that is not U.S. mail in the mailbox.)  Many parents/ families are skeptical about visitors and intrusions in their daily routine.  Remember this is a new process and it may take some getting used to before every parent welcomes you into the home.  You can bet that someone in that neighborhood will see you there and that is part of building credibility.  If you make another appointment, go there, and they don’t answer the door again, leave the second attempt Not Home Letter  and contact the Home Visit Liaison and school administration.

Q:  What if some parents/families don’t want you in their homes?

A:  Try suggesting that you meet at a nearby restaurant, community center, or library.

Q:  What if the first question is, “Is my child in trouble?”

A:  That’s what parents expect to hear.  Many parents will not be used to you coming just to get to know them.  Assure the parent that this is part of the Teacher Home Visit Program.

Q:  What if the parent would like to come to school?

A:  By all means-parental involvement is what this is all about.  You can suggest that the parent visit the classroom, help in the library, or help with PTO sponsored events.

Q:  What if the parent(s) bring up issues like bullying or wanting better communication from the school?

A:  Listen carefully to each issue, take notes if necessary (ask if they mind if you take notes before you do), look into the issue when you get back to school and then call to respond to the parent.  Remember you are building connections.  This is one of the purposes-to increase the sharing of concerns between families and school.

Q:  What if the parent asks if you’ll be sharing the information you learned from the home visit?

A:  Let them know you’re part of a team at school which includes the principal, the nurse, and other teachers and that you will only be sharing the information with necessary school personnel.

Q:  What if the parent talks non-stop?

A:  Maintain eye contact, listen for a few minutes (it’s very important to hear what’s on their mind) and if they go on too long, listen for a breath to be taken, immediately repeat the last phrase the person used and change the subject to how the child is doing in school and specifically in reading.

Q:  What if the parent doesn’t say anything?

A:  You look him/her in the eye to engage and tell them about the child’s academics.

Q:  What if they offer you food and you don’t want/like it?

A:  Take it anyway.  Tell them it looks delicious but you just ate and you would like to save it for later-and don’t forget to take it with you.

Q:  What if the situation you see demands that you contact the authorities/hotline them?

A:  Report the situation to the school counselor and school administrators.  Keep the safety and well-being of the child(ren) in mind and do whatever it takes to be sure they are well taken care of.

Q:  What if the parent asks you for money?

A:  Tell them that is not the point of the Teacher Home Visit Program.  Then change the subject and get back to one of the questions on your list.

Q:  What if the parent asks you to take them somewhere?

A:  Tell them you are sorry you cannot do that because school policy does not allow it.  Then change the subject and get back to one of the questions on your list.

Q:  What if you get to the house and there are no adults there, only the children?

A:  It’s best to reschedule and to not enter the house if no adult is present.  If there are very young children without adult supervision, this should be discussed with the school counselor and school administrators as soon as possible.

Q:  What if alcohol/drugs are present?

A:  Your safety is the number one priority.  Use a predetermined signal to alert your partner you should leave immediately.  If you’ve been there for awhile, you may look at your watch and say something about the time flying by and you have to be somewhere and have to go.  

Q:  What if you see violence, such as parent hitting a child?

A:  You should discuss this with your school counselor and school administrator as soon as possible.  You are a mandated reporter and this may need to be reported.

Q:  What if the child/student asks you to see his/her bedroom?

A:  Do whatever is comfortable for you, from declining the kind invitation, to standing in the doorway, to entering the child’s room.  Many children want to share something that is important to them, and seeing the bedroom can give you information about the child.

Q:  What if grandparents want to be part of the home visit?

A:  Absolutely, as long as it is okay with the parent.  The more people in the home/family that you have a relationship with, and can help the student with school work, the merrier.

Q:  What if the parent wants to discuss academics on the first visit?

A:  You should only talk about academics on the first visit if the parent asks you something, but then steer the conversation back to relationship building and the questions on the list.

Q:  What if the parent says the child is too old to be read to?

A:  Politely disagree and see if you can urge the parent (or another adult or older child in the house) to read to/with him every night or have the child read to the parent so the parent knows the child is reading.

Q:  What if parents question their ability to help their student with reading/homework?

A:  Contact the liaison for a listing of neighborhood tutoring sites and local school resources.  Pass this information on to the parent by phone or mail as soon as possible.

Q:  What if the parent says it’s the teacher’s job to teach the young people how to read, not the parents-that they have enough to do?

A:  Let the parent know you recognize they are the child’s first teacher and that you have to be a team to get the job done.  Reading to their child or having their child read to them for just 20 minutes a day can have an enormous impact on reading achievement.

Q:  What if the parent cannot read?

A:  See if there is an older child/person in the home or on the block who can read to/with the child(ren) daily.  Coach the parent on other ways they can help their child (picture cues, storytelling, rhyming games, etc.) 

Q:  What if one/some of the adults in the household would like to take a GED class?

A:  Contact the liaison and have them give the information to the family.

Q: When do I need to have everything entered to get paid?

A: Must be done by September 1st.

Q: What if the family 'No Shows' and then gets rescheduled?  

A: Let's error on the side of the teacher and compensate them both for the no show and the visit ($10+$25) but that MUST be captured in the google form.  

Q: Do admin who go solo to visits even fill this google form out?

A: Yes, This is the only documentation to keep a record of who we visited. 

Q: What about a playdate or Group visit?

A: Please enter a Playdate as a home visit so the in-person rate is calculated for your stipend.  While you may have some difficulty answering some of the questions on the form, do you best and consider the purpose of the home visit is to get to know the kids and family.  If you did that, you achieved the mission!

Q:  What if my Teacher's aide attends the Group visit? 

A: Add them as the secondary teacher space on the form so they are compensated.

Q: Is it okay if I go alone to a home visit?

A: Going with a colleague, administrator, or teacher's aide is recommended.  Your safety is our greatest importance.

Not Home Form

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