Early Head Start Birth to Five Program

The City of Phoenix, Human Services Department engaged the Vander Weele Group to assess home visiting practice for the Early Head Start Birth to Five Program in the City of Phoenix using the Home Visit Rating Scales (HOVRS-3) tool. In this five-year engagement, our team provides highly qualified, inter-rater reliable observers to administer and complete HOVRS-3 observations and conduct strength-based reflective feedback sessions for all home visitors twice a year.

Vander Weele Group assessors observe and score each home visitor while engaged in a typical home visit with a family. Observations began with a hybrid approach, conducting half of the observations in-person and half via video, changing after the first year to video only for quality scoring purposes. Assessors look for home visitor interactions that indicate facilitation of caregiver-child interaction, responsiveness to each family’s needs and interests, relationship building, and collaboration with caregivers. Assessors complete a detailed summary report on each home visitor observed.

Our assessors conduct reflective feedback meetings with each home visitor and their support team once their observations are complete. During these reflective meetings, Vander Weele Group assessors guide home visitors through the process of reflecting on their practices and offer suggestions for strategies to implement while working with families. Using the results, the home visitors’ coaches then work with them to continue creating and refining professional development plans and provide guidance for changes in practice.