By Subject: Child Welfare | Early Childhood Education | Home Visiting | K-12 Education | Maternal and Child Health | Prenatal-to-Age-Three
Home visiting services help nurture a healthy environment for expectant parents and families with young children by focusing on child development, improving maternal and child health, providing positive parental coaching and guidance, and much more. This brief explores the benefits of the Medicaid Maternal Home Visiting program (MHV) created by DHS four years ago and offers recommendations to the department for further improvement.
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.
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Medicaid is a huge part of the health care system, and millions of PAn's rely on it, including children with special health care needs, children living in the foster care system, children in rural areas, children in military families, and children in low-income, working families.
Medicaid covers approximately 3 million people in Pennsylvania, and more than 750,000 are covered because of the Medicaid expansion. Medicaid also helps our economy, with 15,000 jobs in Pennsylvania because of the Medicaid expansion.
Medicaid provides health insurance to PA children living in families with lower incomes, offering them the preventive care they need to thrive. @RepJohnJoyce, did you know that 46% of all children (or more than 77,000 children) in your district rely on #Medicaid and CHIP?
Medicaid provides health insurance to PA children living in families with lower incomes, offering them the preventive care they need to thrive.
Cuts to #Medicaid would threaten this vital system of care when families can least afford it. Congress should not make reckless cuts.
Medicaid provides health insurance to PA children living in families with lower incomes, offering them the preventive care they need to thrive.
Cuts to #Medicaid would threaten this vital system of care when families can least afford it. Congress should not make reckless cuts.
Medicaid provides health insurance to nearly all Pennsylvania children in foster care and those aging out of foster care. @RepSmucker, did you know that 38% of all children (or more than 69,000 children) in your district rely on Medicaid and CHIP?
Medicaid provides health insurance to nearly all PA children in foster care and those aging out of foster care. #Medicaid meets the unique needs of youth in foster care, providing benefits to treat physical health issues, chronic conditions & behavioral and mental health care.