An Exploratory Study of the Process of Coaching Early Head Start Home Visitors

The Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) have mandated that Early Head Start (EHS) programs implement coaching experiences for education staff (§ 1302.93, ACF 2016). Therefore, coaching in EHS with the home visitor-as-coachee warrants further attention. Despite multiple calls for coaching home visitors, there remains a lack of research on the delivery of coaching. In this study, five home visitors from one Early Head Start-Home-Based Option (EHS-HBO) site participated in coaching. All participants each completed seven (and one participant completed eight) individualized coaching sessions across 4 months for a total of 36 coaching sessions. Of these, 15 sessions were analyzed (beginning, middle, and end sessions for each home visitor). Guided by transformative learning theory and coaching phases in the extant literature, the aim of this study was to examine the processes that took place within individual sessions and across time. Results show that home visitors accomplished their goals and that there were variations within processes, including reflective thinking, questioning, and supportive talk.