What Happened?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced $386 million in grants to states, territories and nonprofit organizations to support families with a home visiting program.
Goal
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program is administering $386 million in grants to help states maintain and expand voluntary home visiting services to local women during pregnancy, as well as parents with young children.
The goal of the program is to provide residents during pregnancy and the first years of raising a child with valuable resources such as access to a nurse, social worker or childhood educator. The federal grants will enable states to customize their Home Visiting Programs to better address the unique needs of their communities.
Through the Home Visiting Program, parents can opt-in to participate and take advantage of tools to support healthy outcomes for their families. The home visiting services are designed to improve the health of parents and children during key developmental years, enhance school-readiness and proactively prevent child abuse and neglect.
Home Visiting
The HHS’ Home Visiting Program was designed to address common concerns of at-risk pregnant women and parents of young children. Federal and state governments aim to connect these families with skills and tools to successfully raise physically, emotionally and socially healthy children. The evidence-based home visiting programs implement models that encourage positive parenting and child health through cost-effective strategies.
All participants in the Home Visiting Program volunteer for the service, and states and local agencies are free to tailor the models to ensure the needs of local at-risk communities are being met. Participants will learn many tips from the planned home visits including:
- Preventive health and prenatal practices
- Improving personal health
- Assistance through all stages of pregnancy and beyond
- Learning how to breastfeed and care for babies
- Understanding child development milestones and behaviors
- Positive parenting techniques
- Setting goals for the future
- Resources for continued education
In the long-term the HHS Home Visiting Program aims to combine community resources to achieve larger community goals such as:
- Improving school readiness
- Reducing crime and domestic violence
- Improving family economic self-sufficiency
- Preventing child injuries, neglect or maltreatment
- Improving coordination and referrals for other community resources and supports
- Nearly 80 percent of families participating in the program reported household incomes below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.
At-risk pregnant women and parents of young children are typically identified in regions with high teen pregnancy rates, poverty rates and infant mortality rates. More than 1.4 million home visits have been conducted nationally, serving parents and children in 721 counties.
Pennsylvania, for example, recently received $12.88 million through the Home Visiting Program to expand its current program for at-risk mothers and families. The state will use the funding to connect parents to primary healthcare providers, dentists, insurers and immunizations. Pennsylvania is focused on educating parents on child development to prevent delays that can impact long-term health and academic success.
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