Home Visiting

The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program gives pregnant women and families, particularly those considered at-risk, necessary resources and skills to raise children who are physically, socially, and emotionally healthy and ready to learn.

What are the program's goals?

From birth to kindergarten entry, MCHB, in partnership with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), funds states, territories, and tribal entities to develop and implement evidence-based, voluntary programs that best meet the needs of their communities.

Goals for every program are to:

• improve maternal and child health,
• prevent child abuse and neglect,
• encourage positive parenting, and
• promote child development and school readiness.

How do we help participants?

By electing to participate in local home visiting programs, families receive help from health, social service, and child development professionals.

Through regular, planned home visits, parents learn how to improve their family's health and provide better opportunities for their children.

Home visits may include:

• supporting preventive health and prenatal practices
• assisting mothers on how best to breastfeed and care for their babies
• helping parents understand child development milestones and behaviors,
• promoting parents’ use of praise and other positive parenting techniques, and
• working with mothers to set goals for the future, continue their education, and find employment and child care solutions.

Who are the current grantees?

• FY 2019 Formula Funding Awards
• FY 2018 Formula Funding Awards
• FY 2017 Innovation Awards
• Tribal Home Visiting Program

States, territories, and tribal entities receive funding. Grantees must give priority to families living in at-risk communities as identified by the statewide needs assessment.

HRSA’s Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program awardees share their thoughts on why home visiting matters:

What funding do we provide current grantees?

Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program Funding

In February 2018, the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program was allocated $400 million per year through fiscal year 2022.

In September 2020, HRSA awarded approximately $341 million in funding to 55 states, territories, and nonprofit organizations to support communities in providing voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program.

By law, state and territory grantees must spend the majority of their grants to implement evidence-based home visiting models. Up to 25% of funding is available to implement promising approaches that will undergo rigorous evaluation.

How do we ensure effectiveness?

The Department of Health and Human Services launched the Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness (HomVEE). It conducts a thorough and clear review of home visiting program models to ensure effectiveness.

Grantees can select one of the following service delivery models:

How do we measure success?

Grantees must demonstrate measurable improvement in at least four of the following six benchmark domains:

• Improvement in maternal and newborn health
• Reduction in child injuries, abuse, and neglect
• Improved school readiness and achievement
• Reduction in crime or domestic violence
• Improved family economic self-sufficiency
• Improved coordination and referral for other community resources and supports

Home Visiting Infographic

Download the FY2019 Home Visiting Infographic (PDF - 324 KB)