Testing Procedure for Helpers

BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT

Weekend Helping

· On weekends, you are only expected to come in if there is a baby booked (You can check this on Acuity)

· You must be here 30 minutes before the appointment (e.g., if a baby is scheduled at 10:00AM, then you must be here at 9:30AM)

· Bring your cellphone with you in case the parent calls to cancel or is lost

· Do not block the glass door wheelchair buttons with a chair. If you see a chair in the way, please move it.

· When you arrive, you need to contact the tester who is working that day (you can check who this is in Acuity, the lab contact list is on Google Drive) to come open the outside door for you as it will be locked on weekends

· It is your responsibility to be here on time, so plan accordingly (e.g., account for the weather, for traffic, for route closings, for delayed buses, etc.) There are no excuses for being late or missing your appointment

· If you are sick, have an emergency, or for some other reason cannot make it to your appointment, it is your responsibility to find a replacement. You must contact other volunteers in the lab (again, lab members’ contact information can be found on Google Drive) and find someone to take your place

· Before leaving to greet your parents, volunteers should make sure that the playroom is unlocked, the lights are on, and the blinds are open

· If the participants are coming by car, volunteers are expected to wait at the glass doors in front of the PY parking lot 15 minutes before the appointment (e.g., if a baby is scheduled at 10:00AM, then volunteers are expected to be at the glass doors at 9:45AM with a parking pass in hand- ask your tester for this if they did not give it to you)

· If the participants are coming by bus, volunteers are expected to wait at the front steps of the AD building on Sherbrooke 15 minutes before the appointment

· Volunteers should guide the parents and infant towards the lab, while making friendly casual conversation with them (if the parents have a stroller, volunteers should guide them towards the elevator near the glass doors and push 0-rear to get to the lab floor – although try to encourage them to leave the stroller behind as the lab is close by and the playroom is small)

o Ask about how they found their way – pleasant hopefully, to the lab. i.e. validate their efforts to visit our lab. Were the maps & directions helpful?

o Walk the family towards the playroom. Use the elevator if baby is in a stroller or if parent prefers.

· Once in the playroom, volunteers should offer parents hangers for their jackets and politely ask everyone to remove their boots to keep the play area clean

*Note that you should be careful not to eat any peanut products before appointments since many children may be allergic and may not even know it yet!

DURING THE APPOINTMENT

Helping

· During the appointment, helpers are expected to interact with the children so that they are happy, not fussy, and in a good state to watch the video

· If there are siblings, volunteers should always physically be closer to the younger child (however should be aware of, and interacting with, both children at all times!)

· During the testing portion, volunteers should help testers by closing the testing doors behind them (the tester has to make it to the calibration screen quickly, to minimize fussiness from the infant). If there is a sibling, the volunteer is expected to stay with the sibling- no child should ever be left unattended

· It is important that while testers are asking parents questions (often to conduct our semi-structured LEQ interview, which determines a child’s exposure to each of his or her languages) that volunteers be mindful of noise levels and try not to engage in loud or distracting play during this time

· If a child wishes to go to the bathroom, volunteers should accompany the child (and the parent if they are accompanying the child) to the bathrooms at the end of the hallway and wait outside the bathroom door (if the parent is with the child- again, never leave a child unattended) and accompany them back to the playroom

· Volunteers are encouraged to be mindful of what the tester is doing during the appointment, follow along with the checklist, and make suggestions if they notice something is wrong or has been forgotten. However, never undermine the tester or the lab in front of parents, always make comments outside of the playroom, where parents cannot hear

AFTER THE APPOINTMENT

Helping

· Afterwards, volunteers should walk the family back to their car, or back to Sherbrooke street. Always make sure that they did not receive a parking ticket (if so, bring it back to the lab with you so we can take care of it)

· Even if parents say they can find their own way from the playroom to the parking lot, accompany them at all times- we do not want any parents wandering the halls, any negative interactions with anyone else in the school, or anyone to get lost

· It is your job to put the toys away once the family has left. Any toys a child touched/played with need to be disinfected. Remember that we test very young children whose immune systems have not yet developed, and we don't want to be a place that spreads germs. Use soapy water at the kitchen sink or Lysol wipes (under the sink) to disinfect toys. Once toys are clean and dry, put them back in the playroom.