Children whose families took part in a home-visiting program in their earliest years showed some positive benefits once they enrolled in school, compared with their peers who did not receive home visits, according to a recently-released study from Healthy Families New York, a home visitation program that enrolls about 5,600 families each year.
This study is the latest report on a group of more than 1,100 families who have been monitored since 2000, and focuses on 1st-grade school records of the children. Among the results: Children in the home-visited group were half as likely to repeat a grade as children who did not receive home visits (3.54 percent compared to 7.10 percent). Also, a higher percentage of children in the home-visited group excelled on three behaviors that promote learning (13.15 percent compared to 7.74 percent). Those behaviors were defined as working and playing cooperatively; following oral directions or classroom rules; and completing homework and class work on time. Information on report cards was captured so differently between districts that the researchers weren't able to track other behaviors.
