Last week CLASP and the Center for American Progress (CAP) released a new report on the federal home visiting program (MIECHV) called, An Investment in our Future: How Federal Home Visiting Funding Provides Critical Support for Parents and Children,
The report build on some of the research and information provided last week by HHS as mandated by Congress: The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation: Early Findings on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program – A Report to Congress
The CLASP-CAP report examines various state efforts and successes at least in initial planning and implementation. The report also examined the structure of the program and funding stream since it requires an extensive planning and evaluation by states in implementing the program. Many have highlighted MEICHV as a prime example of implementing human service programs while basing such implementation on thorough and on-going evaluation.
With funding set to expire this year (after last year’s one-year extension) the report noted the impact of this uncertain funding:
“Securing ongoing funding is a concern for all grantees. A long-term extension or reauthorization of MIECHV with additional resources would allow grantees to continue solidifying the necessary infrastructure for successful home visiting and to expand their programs to serve more vulnerable children and families in their states and communities. It would also ensure that policymakers learn from the national evaluation of MIECHV, which is already underway, as well as state evaluations of promising practices. Without continued funding, the nation will miss out on valuable opportunities to learn from the program and to inform future public investments.”
