Early Head Start Home-Based Option (EHS-HBO) is a national program recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness project as a home visiting model that meets the criteria as an “Evidence-based Early Childhood Home Visiting Service Delivery Model.” The program promotes interactions between the home visitor and primary caregiver that are nurturing, responsive, and intentionally support the primary caregiver’s role as their child’s first and most important teacher. Together, the home visitor and primary caregiver plan ways to help the child learn using parent-child interactions, daily routines, and household materials to make their home and community the learning environment. Services are provided primarily in the home and through group socialization activities. The program assists primary caregivers to identify strengths and set goals for themselves and their family.

For more information, visit Head Start's Home-Based Option website.

Healthy Families America (HFA) is a national program recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness project as a home visiting model that meets the criteria as an “Evidence-based Early Childhood Home Visiting Service Delivery Model.” The HFA model is a voluntary program designed to work with families who may have histories of trauma, intimate partner violence, mental health, and/or substance misuse. The HFA model utilizes experienced early childhood home visitors to provide frequent and supportive home visiting services. The goals of this program are:

• to build and sustain community partnerships to systematically engage overburdened families in home visiting services prenatally or at birth
• to cultivate and strengthen nurturing parent-child relationships
• to promote healthy childhood growth and development
• and to enhance family functioning by reducing risk and building protective factors.

For more information, visit the Healthy Families America website.

Nurse Family Partnership® (NFP) is a national program recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness project as a home visiting model that meets the criteria as an “Evidence-based Early Childhood Home Visiting Service Delivery Model.” The NFP model’s primary goals include improved pregnancy outcomes by helping women engage in good prenatal health practices, improved child health and development by helping primary caregivers provide competent care for their children; and improved economic self-sufficiency by helping primary caregivers develop a vision for their and their family’s future.

For more information, visit the Nurse-Family Partnership website.

Parents as Teachers (PAT) is a national home visiting program recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness project as a home visiting model that meets the criteria as an “Evidence-based Early Childhood Home Visiting Service Delivery Model.” The Parents as Teachers model program builds strong communities, thriving families, and children who are healthy, safe and ready to learn by matching parents and caregivers with trained professionals, known as Parent Educators. Parent Educators make regular personal home visits during a child’s earliest years in life, from prenatal through kindergarten. The Parents as Teachers model program provides a broad context of parenting education and family support that builds protective factors, especially for those families in vulnerable situations. At its core, the Parents as Teachers model program is relationship-based and parenting-focused. Curriculum focuses on parent-child interaction, development-centered parenting, and family well-being; on strengths, capabilities and skills; and on building protective factors within the family. Services are provided primarily in the home and through group connection activities. The Parent as Teachers model programming assists primary caregivers to identify strengths and set goals for themselves and their family.

For more information, visit the Parents as Teachers website.

While each program may have different eligibility criteria based on home visiting model or community need, priority for services through MIECHV funding includes the following: low-income (185% federal poverty level of below); pregnant women who are less than 21 years of age;  history of interaction with child welfare services; history of substance abuse; use of tobacco or tobacco products in the home; primary caregivers and/or children who have had low student achievement; families with children who have developmental delays or disabilities; primary caregivers who have or are serving in the armed forces.

Early Head Start Home Based Option Model (EHS-HBO) – Eligibility: Low-income under 185% of poverty as defined on the ASPE Poverty Guidelines website; (55% of funded enrollment must be families at or below 100% of federal poverty level; 35% of funded enrollment must be families with income between 100-130% federal poverty level; and 10% of funded enrollment must be made available to children with disabilities eligible for Part C Services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), pregnant women, and primary caregivers with children birth to age three. Foster children are eligible regardless of foster family’s income. Homeless children are eligible.

Healthy Families America

Eligibility: Low-income under 185% of poverty as defined on the ASPE Poverty Guidelines website who are at risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, pregnant women or primary caregivers of infants less than 3 months of age, and reside in the counties served by the program.

Nurse Family Partnership

Eligibility: Low-income under 185% of poverty as defined on the ASPE Poverty Guidelines website, first-time pregnant women enrolled prior to the 28th week of pregnancy, and reside in the counties served by the program. Visits are provided by registered nurses continue until the child reaches age two. Mercy Hospital Southeast has an approved model enhancement to enroll low-income pregnant women who have had a previous child (multiparous) up until date of delivery.

Parents as Teachers

Eligibility: Low-income under 185% of poverty as defined on the ASPE Poverty Guidelines website; Pregnant women and primary caregivers with children birth to kindergarten entry who meet at least two program characteristics. Foster children are eligible regardless of foster family’s income. 

• Please see the map for contact information.

• MIECHV Needs Assessment 2020
• Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program | MCHB
• MIECHV FY23 Fact Sheet
• CQI Handbook