New HHS Study Finds Home Visiting Services Improves Family Wellbeing

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), today released new findings from the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE) study. The MIHOPE study highlights the long-term benefits to children and families participating in federally funded, evidence-based home visiting services through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program .

The MIHOPE study found that direct interactions between home visitors and families had statistically significant, long-term positive effects on maternal and family wellbeing outcomes by the time children reached kindergarten. The positive outcomes included:improvements in families' economic circumstances, reduced family conflict and violence, better maternal mental and behavioral health, and strengthened parent-child interactions.

HRSA recently awarded over $480 million in MIECHV grants to 56 states and jurisdictions to implement evidence-based home visiting programs in communities facing significant challenges to achieving optimal maternal and child health outcomes. MIHOPE - a national randomized control trial following 4,226 families across 12 states - conducts gold standard science on the impact of MIECHV on children and families who enrolled in home visiting programs from 2012-2017.

"Gold standard science validates what we know about effective social safety net programs: evidence-based programs that emphasize engagement make all the difference to improve family outcomes," said Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison. "Research confirms our investments in Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting programs deliver a better future for American children and families."

The Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act doubled federal funding for MIECHV over five years to support new parents and their children from pregnancy through kindergarten entry with in-home services. These additional funds are already ensuring more families and communities benefit from home visiting services, with over 150,000 parents and children served and nearly 990,000 home visits delivered in fiscal year 2024 alone.

"Home visiting programs are uniquely positioned to reach families where they are, by coming into their homes to offer support and guidance for new and expecting parents," said HRSA Administrator Tom Engels. "During a recent visit with MIECHV participants, I saw firsthand the impact these programs have on families, and the MIHOPE findings further confirm that MIECHV is an effective program. HRSA remains committed to supporting families most in need and helping set them up for lifelong success."

In future years, HHS will release a benefit-cost analysis on MIECHV when the children enrolled in home visiting programs are in third grade. This will be the first time there will be a government assessment of the benefits and costs of evidence-based home visiting.

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The MIECHV Program, administered by HRSA in partnership with ACF, supports voluntary, evidence-based home visiting for pregnant women and parents with young children who live in communities that face greater risks and barriers to achieving positive maternal and child health outcomes. The MIECHV Program builds upon decades of scientific research showing that evidence-based voluntary home visits by a nurse, social worker, or other trained professional during pregnancy, and in the first years of life, can improve the lives of children and families. Evidence-based models are identified through the Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness, a systematic evidence review that determines whether models meet HHS criteria for evidence of effectiveness. For more information about the MIECHV Program and the MIHOPE study, visit HRSA.gov and ACF.gov.

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