FAMILY SERVICES

Higher Horizons is dedicated to empowering and strengthening families in Bailey’s Crossroads/Falls Church, VA community. Shortly after a family completes enrollment, they are assigned a Family Service Advocate (for center based families) or a Home Visitor (for home base families), as the single point of contact for the family.

With the help of the Family Service Advocate/Home Visitor, parents are offered opportunities to develop and implement individualized Family Partnership Agreements that describe the family goals, timelines and strategies for achieving these goals. This process will assist in establishing a mutual trust and provide parents with referrals and resources within the Head Start and the community that address health, social and economic needs of families.

Parents are provided opportunities to participate in decision-making enhance their own parenting skills and participate in educational activities. Parent involvement and education activities are responsive to the ongoing and expressed needs of the parents, both as individuals and as members of a group.

Throughout the year, trainings are offered on topics such as parenting, child abuse and neglect, stress management, healthy relationships, and conflict resolution. Meetings and interactions with families are respectful of each family's diversity and cultural and ethnic background.

Higher Horizons staff particularly encourages fathers and other men in the child’s life to become involved and embrace education for the whole family.