Family needs assessment is mandated within Head Start programs. Cen-Clear Child Services, Inc., a Head Start program in Pennsylvania, set out to evaluate and revise its approach to information-gathering and to involve families in the planning process using plans based on family strengths and designed to meet family goals. Based on a model designed by Schulman (1982), a training module was developed for home visitors to address the issue of improving family needs assessment. The questions designed to elicit the same information were presented in two formats: an open-ended approach and specific closed-questions approach. Responses were then compared for completeness and accuracy. Following the training program, home visitors were encouraged to implement the procedure they found most comfortable. Results indicated that use of the conversational approach produced more accurate and useful information, mostly due to fact that the information comes directly from the parents rather than from home visitors' interpretations of limited information obtained using the direct-question format. (AA)