LEAP and Home Visits
WHAT IS THE LEARNER ENGAGEMENT AND ATTENDANCE PROGRAM (LEAP)?
LEAP (Learner Engagement & Attendance Program) is Connecticut’s research-based, relational home visit model proven to increase student attendance and family engagement. The program provides targeted Tier II intervention relational visits, either at the home or a neutral community location, aimed to strengthen the school-family relationships by focusing on the family’s strengths and aspirations, while providing support to improve student engagement and attendance. The program offers targeted intervention for students who have missed or begun to miss too much school.
WHAT ARE THE CORE COMPONENTS OF LEAP?
The LEAP model was not designed to be implemented in isolation. Rather, its cornerstones dovetail with the broader components of comprehensive attendance and engagement work and a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) approach. Layering LEAP into a preexisting, broader attendance plan is part of what makes LEAP work. LEAP’s cornerstones and operational components apply to both the state and local levels and are designed to cement operational and organizational commitment.
CORNERSTONES OF THE LEAP APPROACH (BELIEFS/VALUES)
- Trusting Relationships – LEAP nurtures trust and relationship-building with everyone involved in implementation, starting with the home visitors and extending to administrators and community-based organizations as needed.
- Flexible – CSDE and LEAP leadership allow for, and endorse, adapting the program in a flexible manner to build on the strengths and realities of different families, communities, schools, and districts.
- Collaborative – LEAP emphasizes a collaborative approach which respects the perspectives and assets of everyone involved and takes a partnership approach to making decisions about program implementation.
- Data Driven – Chronic absence data is used to prioritize who receives home visits and is reviewed over time to allow for continuous improvement.
- Culturally Responsive – LEAP emphasizes the importance of taking time to appreciate and understand the cultures and languages of students and families as well as recognize and address when there are cultural differences or potential biases.
- Voluntary for All – No one is forced to participate in LEAP. Rather, participation in LEAP is voluntary for staff as well as for families who are offered the opportunity to participate in home visits and are allowed the option to decline.
LEAP’S OPERATIONAL COMPONENTS (DELIVERY)
- Tier II Intervention to Address Attendance and Engagement.
- Multiple Visits Focused on Relationships.
- Data Informed at State and Local Levels.
- Professional Development Hub known as the Connecticut Home Visit Hub provides Training and Peer Support. LEAP 101
- trainings are open and free for all Connecticut districts.
- Home Visitors are Compensated and are Members of the School or from a trusted Community Agency.
- Delivery System and Structures with District and School Level Coordination.
All home visitors are required to:
- Complete LEAP 101 training.
- Conduct home visits in pairs.
- Receive compensation for their time and travel.
Home visits should:
- Foster positive interactions to enhance school-family relationships.
- Be scheduled in advance.
- Take place in person either in the home or a community space.
- Be documented in the home visitor log.