Home visiting programs for families with young children have received Federal government support in the United States.
[1] The purpose of federal funding is to identify the most effective early childhood home visiting programs and strengthen them with standards that will produce measurable and efficient outcomes.
Beginning September 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded grants to states to develop and implement an early childhood home visitation program to promote.
Their scope of practice includes children and maternal health, parenting and family education, child abuse and neglect.
Home visitors provide education and resources to parents in multiple layers, such as educating on normal trajectory of early childhood, identifying abnormal development or modifying problematic behavior, offering referrals to community resources, such as Medicaid, job training, employment services, or food assistance.
[10] Quality practices offered by well-trained home visitors in Home Visiting Programs have been shown to be effective in these areas: lower number of low birth weight babies, 50% decrease in child abuse or neglect, 25% increase in reading and math test grades in 1-3 grades, 60% increase in high school graduation rate.
Social Security Act, Title V, Section 511 (42 USC 711)[12] states to conduct a statewide assessment on needs of the at-risk population to be eligible for the grant award.
[2] States also must file a report to the Secretary of HHS on the progress of the program, which must show improvements on at least four areas at the end of the first three-year period.