The Heising-Simons Foundation is pleased to support the Parents as Teachers National Center (PATNC) with a $1.13 million grant to lead the Rapid Response Virtual Home Visiting (HV-RRC) collaborative, an effort to create and disseminate free online resources for home visitors on virtual family interactions, amid the COVID-19 public health crisis.

Home visiting refers to voluntary programs that bring trained individuals into homes to provide information and support throughout a child’s early years. The HV-RRC collaborative––which is led by PATNC, the Institute for the Advancement of Family Support Professionals, and the National Alliance of Home Visiting Models––represents a nimble effort to provide rapid, best-practice principles and strategies to support home visiting professionals so they can maintain meaningful connections with families during this public health crisis. The HV-RRC will leverage the extensive resources and expertise that already exist across home visiting organizations in the field.

“Providing immediate support for our front-line home visiting staff and the families they serve is our highest priority,” said Constance Gully, PATNC’s president and chief executive officer.

The COVID-19 public health crisis is likely to have an outsized impact on our country’s most vulnerable families. Home visiting programs, like schools, are suddenly faced with the challenge of connecting with and supporting families remotely. The need to shift to remote modes of service delivery, such as telephone and video conference, is time-sensitive and urgent. Staying connected with trusted helpers can help parents who are unable to rely on their usual networks for support.

To learn more and access the free resources, please visit the Rapid Response Virtual Home Visiting website. All materials will be provided free of charge, and will remain available to support future needs of the field.

The HV-RRC collaborative is also hosting a series of webinars about these resources:

• Virtual Visit Readiness (Zoom recording available)
• Engaging Families in Virtual Visits: A Protective Factors’ Approach on April 8, 2020 (register here)
• Screening Families Virtually on April 15, 2020 (registration link forthcoming)

Additional webinars and resources will be added in time, so please make sure to continue checking the HV-RRC website.