Promoting Child Development During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Parental Perceptions of Tele-Home Visits in Early Head Start Programs

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic prompted families to receive Early Head Start (EHS) home-based services virtually. This qualitative study evaluated parental perceptions of EHS tele-home visits. Methods EHS parents who had transitioned to tele-home visits using any video-chat platform were recruited to participate in a Spanish or English virtual focus group that assessed their perceptions of tele-home visits. Using an iterative, consensus-seeking inductive content analysis approach, themes and subthemes were identified. Results Thirty-five mothers of children newborn to 3-years-old, where the majority were Latino and Spanish-speaking, participated in four focus groups. Several patterns pertaining to technology, child engagement, child learning and development, and parent-home visitor relationship emerged in the qualitative analysis. Mothers revealed varying degrees of digital proficiency, device preference, and technology challenges. Mothers reported variability in child engagement and concerns with missed socialization opportunities for children as a results of tele-home visits, but also reported increased self-efficacy in supporting child development, positive relationships with their home visitor, and overall satisfaction with services. Conclusion Parents revealed tele-home visits have the potential to be a viable service delivery method for EHS home-based programs. While parents perceived increased engagement and an uncompromised parent-home visitor relationship, they revealed areas of needed support that would optimize the use of tele-home visits. Significance What is already known on this subject? In-person Early Head Start home-based services have been associated with healthy child development and positive parenting behaviors. However, there are no known studies that have studied tele-home visits in Early Head Start. Research on the delivery of childhood intervention services via telehealth have reported both strengths and limitations. What this study adds? This study adds to the literature valuable information on how tele-home visits are perceived by parents participating in Early Head Start home-based services. In this qualitative study on EHS tele-home visits, our findings suggest parents perceived an increased parental efficacy, engagement in monitoring their child’s development, planning with home visitors, and creating an engaging environment. Parents identified areas of needed support with child’s socialization needs, disengagement, and techno