Preservice preparation in home visiting: A national survey of early childhood undergraduate programs

Abstract

Home visiting is an essential part of early childhood education and early childhood special education services. Recent changes and expansion of program services in the areas of Early Head Start and Early Intervention have resulted in the provision of more home‐based services for young children and their families. The current study is a national survey of undergraduate early childhood programs in NCATE accredited institutions regarding their inclusion of key skills necessary for home visiting practice. Results of this study suggest that approximately half of programs include home visiting as part of field‐experiences. Moreover, differences between program type (early childhood versus early childhood special education/blended) demonstrate that programs with a special education component are more likely to include home visiting skills within their curriculum. Programs that include home visiting field‐experiences were more likely to address home visiting content within their undergraduate curriculum.