Federal Maternal, Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV)

A new initiative, part of the federal Affordable Care Act and funded through the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), will help Washington and other states bring evidence-based home visiting services to high-risk communities. The new MIECHV program provides $1.5 billion over five years for a state-based early childhood home visitation grants to serve families in high-risk communities through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

In 2010, Washington state completed a statewide home visiting needs assessment, led by the Washington State Department of Health. Washington was awarded $1.3 million in formula funds the first year to develop an Updated State Plan for home visiting and to support home visiting services in communities identified in the state plan. This home visiting program requires states to meet legislatively mandated benchmarks:

  • Improvements in maternal and prenatal health, infant health, and child health and development
  • Increased school readiness.
  • Reduction in the incidence of child maltreatment.
  • Improved parenting related to child development outcomes.
  • Improved socio-economic status.
  • Greater coordination of referrals to community resources and supports.
  • Reduced crime and domestic violence.

Washington will measure the federally required benchmarks using 35 constructs.

Washington will receive $1.8 million annually to support direct home visitation services in local communities, to develop systems to build quality implementation of evidence-based home visiting, to integrate home visiting as a strategy in a comprehensive statewide system for early childhood services, and to collaborate with and partner across agencies and throughout communities.

Washington is one of 10 states that received a competitive federal grant in April 2012 to expand voluntary home visiting services to families in some of the state’s most at-risk communities. Through 2015, Washington is expected to receive about $25 million from the MIECHV program. In the first year, $6.6 million will directly support 545 families in some of the state’s most at-risk communities. Learn more about the first-year activities of this competitive award here.

More information about Washington's home visiting system