By Subject: Child Welfare | Early Childhood Education | Home Visiting | K-12 Education | Maternal and Child Health | Prenatal-to-Age-Three
The Childhood Begins at Home campaign released new fact sheets that show the number of young children and their families receiving publicly funded, evidence-based home visiting services statewide and in each county. While a historic level of increased funding in last year’s state budget helped serve more Pennsylvania low-income families—moving from 5% to 7% served—it still represents only a fraction of those most in need of services.
The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program strengthens communities by improving outcomes for children and their families. A cornerstone of evidence-based public policy, MIECHV provides funds for developing and implementing voluntary, evidence-based home visiting programs. Programs must meet at least four of six evidence-based benchmarks to satisfy the law’s rigorous requirements for demonstrated effectiveness. MIECHV is an essential source of funding; however, it is set to expire on September 30th. Congress must act to reauthorize MIECHV before this deadline to ensure families across Pennsylvania can continue to receive vital home visiting services.
Evidence-based home visiting programs recognize parents are children’s first teachers, but sometimes even parents and others raising children look for help. Far too many of Pennsylvania’s youngest children live in poverty and experience poor education and health outcomes. Voluntary home visiting programs help parents and others raising children with the supports necessary to improve health, safety, literacy and family self-sufficiency. During home visits, nurses or other trained professionals visit with women, families and children – some as early as pregnancy to promote positive birth outcomes – to provide parent education and support, ultimately promoting child health, well-being, learning and development.
A nurturing childhood leads to a strong, productive adult who will contribute great things to our society. But let’s face it, raising children is challenging and difficult even in the best situations. Home visiting programs recognize parents are children’s first teachers, but sometimes even parents need help. Childhood Begins at Home is a statewide campaign to help policymakers and the public understand the value of and support public investments in evidence-based home visiting.
