Background
The Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program funds local implementing agencies to provide voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services to pregnant people and families in Colorado. MIECHV helps improve families’ physical, social and emotional well-being and prepares children to be school-ready. This program is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in partnership with the Administration of Children and Families (ACF).
MIECHV began in 2010 with an initial needs assessment to inform strategic decision-making, and identified 15 at-risk counties across Colorado. MIECHV-funded programs implement three evidence-based home visiting models in Colorado: Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) and Parents as Teachers (PAT).
An updated statewide needs assessment was conducted in 2020 according to legislative requirements by the Colorado Department of Human Services in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The goals of this needs assessment were to identify:
- Communities with high concentrations of risk,
- Quality and capacity of existing programs, and
- Capacity for providing substance use disorder treatment and counseling services.
Resources
Full reports
- 2020 Full Report. (PDF)
- 2010 Full Report. (PDF)
Department of Early Childhood
The Colorado Department of Early Childhood supports the care, education, and well-being of all Colorado's young children, their families and early childhood professionals in all settings.
- Colorado Department of Early Childhood. (website)
- Family support programs. (Colorado Department of Early Childhood webpage)