Outcomes and Impact:

Clients: To date, the results have shown significant impact in terms of benefits in child and parent behavior and growth 
in expressive and receptive language.  HABLA is reducing the reduced primary language skills typical of untreated children 
from educationally and economically disadvantaged families. It is returning the trajectory of development to a more age-appropriate
course. Parents who participate in HABLA are able to sustain verbal interactions with their children; they grow in perceived 
competence and in the quality of attention that they give to their children.  Where parents in the community at large tend to 
have a passive view of their role in their children's education, HABLA parents realize their role as their children's first 
and most important teachers and are ready to form a responsive partnership with the educational system. Evaluations of 
the HABLA Sibling data are just beginning and they are indicating that the gains in early Spanish skills are due to a change 
in family practices and not just the home visitor's work with the child are indicated by sibling advantages.

Extensive evaluations of HABLA's ability to achieve its goals for young children are regularly conducted at intake and yearly 
intervals. The data are summarized in a recent paper (Mann et al, 2007 DOC)and in recent powerpoint presentations 
MEES and UROP. The HABLA home visits significantly increase standardized language skills during each year of treatment, 
as well as measures of school readiness in preschool and kindergarten one to two years after program completion. The gains 
extend to English as well as to Spanish: early Spanish gains translate into English gains once children are immersed in an 
English speaking school environment. As for the HABLA sibling program, when the younger siblings of HABLA graduates begin 
this abbreviated program, their standardized language scores are significantly higher than those of their older siblings 
when they first entered the program, the HABLA sibling participants also show greater gains even though they received 
only one home visit per week after the one year abbreviated curriculum of home visits. Our ultimate goal is that HABLA and 
HABLA-Sibling, like the PCHP, will increase matriculation through the school system. 

Home Visitors: As we continue to follow the careers of our home visitors, we are seeing that they also gain from involvement 
in the program. 90% of the more than 80 UCI students who have participated in HABLA have graduated on time, a considerable 
increase over Latino students at large.  The majority have gone into education or social services, including seven who gained 
higher degrees in education, law, psychology and medicine.  Three of our site coordinators are home visitors who moved step 
by step through the system, starting as students or as AmeriCorps members. Nine of our current community home visitors started 
as AmeriCorps members with the program, many other AmeriCorps members have continued their education and are now involved in public 
service.  Two of our newest community home visitors are mothers who successfully graduated from HABLA and are now holding their 
first job.