ELOF@HOME vs First Step Coach

The ELOF@Home is a mobile solution for home visitors who want to access, and learn more about, the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (HS ELOF). The app provides on-the-go access to the ELOF goals for children and effective practices for home visitors in support of those goals. The ELOF@HOME is designed to be used by home visitors to learn more about which home visiting practices are effective at supporting parents in their children’s growth and development within the ELOF domains. It includes imagery, text, and stories that represent the diversity found in Head Start and Early Head Start programs across the country, including children who are Dual Language Learners (DLLs) and a focus on “individualizing” for children with unique needs and abilities. Who is the ELOF@HOME app for? The ELOF@HOME app should be used by directors, managers, and home visitors, working in home-based programs as their mobile ELOF. The ELOF@HOME app incorporates practices that are effective at promoting strong parent-child relationships, positive parenting, and children’s growth and development within the ELOF domains. As directors and managers explore the app, they should use it to: • Guide everyday practice in selecting and using curriculum along with home visiting and assessment practices that promote the goals for secure parent- child relationships and children’s development and learning • Identify staff training needs and plan for staff training and development • Identify program priorities and focus attention and resources on meeting the goals for children’s development and learning • Communicate about program planning, implementation, and impact with staff, families, advisory board, and the community As home visitors explore the app, they should use it to: • Support the development of strong parent- child relationships and positive parenting • Plan learning experiences with parents and their children to promote secure parent-child interactions and school readiness • Engage consistently in meaningful, culturally sensitive interactions and conversations with parents and their children to support their learning in all the domains • Inform effective, intentional, and responsive home visiting practices to help parents and their children make progress toward their goals • Engage parents and family members in understanding and supporting their child’s learning in the home environment • Complement information gathered from ongoing assessments

This app is designed to train school staff to administer the First Step Next intervention. First Step Next is an early intervention program designed to divert young children with challenging behaviors from a path leading to adjustment problems; school failure and dropout; rejection by teachers, peers, and ultimately, caregivers; juvenile delinquency in adolescence; and in some cases, gang membership and interpersonal violence. First Step Next is a collaborative home and school intervention program for preschool – third grade that recruits parents as partners with the school in teaching the at-risk child a behavior pattern contributing to school success and the development of friendships. In this new online training program, users will go through 4 online modules and video record a short roleplay of working with the focus student.