Our Goal: To promote maternal health and well-being, improve infant and child health and development, strengthen family functioning and cultivate strong communities.

We Serve: Pregnant and newly parenting families who have one or more of the following risk factors: Domestic violence, inadequate income, unstable housing, education less than 12 years, substance use disorder, and depression and/or mental health related issues.

Service Delivery: Services are provided by a Public Health Nurse or paraprofessional in the family’s home. Services begin prenatally or right after the birth of a baby, are offered voluntarily and usually continue until age 3. The number of visits is based on need..

Outcomes: Research has shown that evidence-based home visiting programs produce positive outcomes that save taxpayer dollars by reducing societal costs associated with intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, youth crime, substance use disorder and need for government assistance.

Funding: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 established the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program , which provides funds for evidence-based home visiting in every state. In 2019, $23 million in new State General Funds were provided to CDPH for evidence-based and innovative home visiting services.

Home visiting services are offered in the family’s home where teachable moments naturally arise. Working one-on-one with a home visiting professional, families can ask questions, discuss concerns and gain valuable information. Home visitors build relationships as they provide services tailored to each family’s needs, such as:

• Teaching parenting skills and modeling parenting techniques.
• Providing information and guidance on a range of topics, such as safe sleep position, injury prevention and nutrition.
• Providing referrals to address substance use disorder, family violence and maternal depression.
• Screening children for developmental delays and facilitating intervention.
• Promoting early learning in the home that emphasizes positive parenting and building a language-rich environment.