Family Home Visiting Certificate

The Family Home Visiting Certificate is a unique certificate program at WKU! Few universities across the country offer this amazing educational opportunity. The Family Home Visiting Certificate prepares students to provide in-home services to families who are engaged in a variety of programs designed to strengthen the family, or assist a child with a specific need.  Select examples of home visits includes working with families:

• At risk for child abuse and neglect
• Who need additional parenting skills
• Whose children are involved in First Steps
• Who are adopting a child
• Whose children attend Head Start

Home visiting occurs in a variety of fields such as:

• Early Childhood Education
• Child and Family Studies
• Education (Elementary, Middle, and High School)
• Nursing
• Social Work
• Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Gerontology 

(This is not an exhaustive list of careers that involve home visiting as part of their practice.)

Potential clients of home visits include:

• Children receiving therapies in the home,
• Parents needing healthy pregnancy information and parenting skills,
• Families at risk for abusing and neglecting their children;
• Those who need other support services.

Curriculum: Students must earn a grade of "C" or better in these courses.

• FACS 395 Child and Family Stress (Online Spring, Summer, On-Demand)
• FACS 494 Parenting Strategies (Classroom in Fall, online Winter, Spring,  Summer)
  
• FACS 497 Family Home Visiting (Online during Spring)
• Elective course chosen with advisor.

The elective is chosen after a discussion between Dr. Darbi Haynes-Lawrence (Family Home Visiting Certificate advisor) and the student.  Some electives within Family & Consumer Sciences include, but are not limited to:

• FACS 311 Family Relations
• FACS 312 Professional Ethics in Family Life (Spring, online)
• FACS 391 Risk & Resilience (online; Fall only)
• FACS 393 Play and Child Development (online; Fall only)
• FACS 422 Adolescent Development (Spring, online)
• FACS 495 Family & Relationship Violence (Face to face Fall; online Spring)
• FACS 496 Challenging Behaviors (online; Fall only)

Examples of majors of students who have graduated with the Family Home Visiting Certificate include: Child and Family Studies, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Family & Consumer Science Education, Elementary Education, Nursing, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, or the Bachelor's of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Students who are interested in completing the Family Home Visiting Certificate program must submit a completed Undergraduate Certificate Form. Dr. Haynes-Lawrence can assist you with this form.

For more information, please contact Dr. Darbi Haynes-Lawrence or the Applied Human Sciences department at 270-745-4352.