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 & Family Services (formerly known as Child Studies 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 some paperwork. Please contact Dr. Haynes-Lawrence and she will assist students and advisors with the required paperwork for the certificate.

For more information, please contact us!

Have general questions? Feel free to contact us at any time!