Having a baby is an exciting time in a family’s life but it comes with challenges too. If the family is already facing challenges, caring for a baby can be overwhelming and very stressful. This is where Healthy Families Prince George’s work comes in.
Healthy Families Prince George’s is our voluntary early childhood home visiting program helping to strengthen families in the county by supporting first-time expectant mothers (and families) experiencing high levels of stress.
We have worked with more than 1,600 families since 2008. Connecting with families with evidence-based and effective home visiting programs empower families and can achieve positive outcomes:
- Improving child health and development
- Increasing in children’s school readiness
- Enhancing parents’ ability to support children’s development
- Improving family’s economic self- sufficiency and increases their sense of empowerment in their lives
Healthy Families America is a national, evidence-based, home visiting program that has served more than 145,000 at-risk children and families in every state. It focuses on positive parent-child interactions, support to assist families with stability and the resources to become self-sufficient and empowered in their lives, and information and training to ensure the healthy development of the child to prepare them for school.
Program sites like ours are funded in a variety of ways, and one very important investment is the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV).
Congress needs to continue investment and reauthorize MIECHV
MIECHV is up for reauthorization (that is, a review and a renewal) by the end of this month. Congress needs to reauthorize the program before it expires on September 30, to continue this crucial work with families. Congress is considering a revised bill to extend MIECHV with a new state requirement. This revised bill would require states to match federal funding-for the first time. This requirement puts states in the position of having to find the money or reallocate monies targeted for other programs in order to continue the program. This new requirement may force many states to reduce the number of families they can serve or end the home visiting program.
Congress needs to extend the funding for MIECHV without the matching requirements for states.
Take Action
Learn more at The Home Visiting Coalition as they lead the way to keep MIECHV funded. They’ve also made it easy to contact our U.S. Senators and Representatives. There are just a few days left and Congress must act! Please contact Congress today.
