Home visiting program aims to enhance local early childhood systems

HHSC has named six organizations to serve as community leads for a new Texas Home Visiting Program.

The program, which is funded through a five-year federal grant, will create a system of home visiting services in seven Texas counties where need was determined to be the greatest. Home visiting services will include those designed to promote early childhood health, safety and development, as well as strong parent-child relationships. The goal is to help children reach their full potential by promoting:

• Improved maternal and newborn health.
• Prevention of child injuries and reduction in child maltreatment.
• Improved school readiness and academic achievement.
• Reduced domestic violence.
• Improved family self-sufficiency.
• Increased coordination and referrals for community resources and supports for families within the select communities.

The counties selected to receive Texas Home Visiting Program services and the organizations that will lead the home visiting effort are:

• Dallas County — United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
• Ector County — University of Texas of the Permian Basin
• Gregg County — Longview Wellness Center, Inc. (Wellness Pointe)
• Nueces County — United Way of the Coastal Bend
• Potter County — Coalition of Health Services, Inc.
• Hidalgo County — Easter Seals Rio Grande Valley
• Willacy County — Easter Seals Rio Grande Valley

The home visiting programs in each community will use evidence-based home visiting program models that address a wide range of needs for mother, child and family from pregnancy through the start of kindergarten.

For more information on the Texas Home Visitation Program, email HHSCExternalRelations@hhsc.state.tx.us.