March 2011

In this issue of our newsletter, you will hear from three distinct home visit champions. One perspective comes from Rosa, a comprehensive high school parent in Sacramento California, one article comes from Chelsea, an Americorps VISTA member in Poplar Montana, and our last contributor is Angela, a faith based community organizer in Anchorage Alaska.  All three contributors participate in home visiting and share our common model. Their stories highlight what becomes possible when we take the time and "pave the path" to build connections between home and school. Lately, I've been giving a lot of thought to the reasons for the authentic demand that exists for our home visiting work throughout the country.  I think these stories reflect the growing need and desire for meaningful and effective partnerships.  If you agree, please consider joining our April donor campaign so that we may continue to answer the call for home visiting throughout the country.  You can find us on http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/parent-teacher-home-visit-project/   I am so grateful, every day, that you set such an amazing example with all you do to support the students, staff and families in your communities. Carrie

Rosa Ramirez is a mother of a 12th grader and a high school graduate.  Her children have both benefited from The Parent Teacher Home Visit Project in Sacramento. "Home visits and Parent University taught me how important it is to be involved in my daughter's education. They provided us examples of how we could support our children and their future dreams."                                           

 Read Rosa's story                                                                        
                                                                                                                      

Poplar is a small community on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana that experiences elevated rates of poverty, including a high drop-out rate. As a result of the boarding-school experiences of many members of this town there seems to be a large disconnect between the school and larger Poplar community. In an effort to bridge this gap and combat poverty, the school district undertook home visits as part of a larger strategy to decrease the extreme drop-out rate. Relationship building is everything on the reservation and Poplar School District felt that home visits would be an effective tool to reach out to the small town.   Learn more about home visits in Poplar

In August 2010 a new reality started happening in Alaska.  Schools kicked off a new home visit program and are reaping the rewards from getting to know their families.

Read more about the exciting home visit adventures in Alaska