Home Visiting

In evidence-based, voluntary home visiting programs, parent coaches provide child-development and parenting information to help parents create safe, stimulating home environments; model positive and language-rich relationships; and ensure families are connected to medical, dental, mental-health, and other supports.

The Ounce of Prevention Fund advocates for such programs as a means to prepare young, inexperienced parents to excel as their baby's first teacher. Research has shown that home visiting programs increase children's literacy and high school graduation rates, and increase how much parents read to their children. In addition, such programs have been shown to increase positive birth outcomes for children, improve the likelihood that families have a medical home, and decrease rates of child abuse and neglect. Learn more about related research in Home Visitation: Assessing Progress, Managing Expectations .

Illinois

The Ounce advocates for funding for high-quality home visiting programs in Illinois, including Healthy Families, Doula, Parents as Teachers, Parents too Soon, Nurse Family Partnership and Baby TALK.

In 2009, the Ounce helped Illinois win a federal grant to create an infrastructure that supports home visiting.

Learn more about the home visiting programs and training for home visitors that the Ounce provides.

Federal

In 2010, the Ounce of Prevention Fund and the First Five Years Fund, along with organizations across the country, successfully advocated for a home visiting provision to be included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The legislation will provide $1.5 billion over five years for home visiting programs. States will be able to establish and expand high-quality, evidence-based, voluntary home visiting services to expectant families and those with young children.



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