Thursday, April 3, 2025
4/3/2025
Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Homevisiting Grant Program - Address: 401 S. Clinton Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607 Project Director: Lesley Schwartz Phone: (312) 254-6118 E-mails: Lesley.schwartz@illinois.gov Website: www.igrowillinois.org Grant Program Funds Requested: $8,049,837 PURPOSE: The purpose of Illinois MIECHV is to support the delivery of coordinated, comprehensive, high quality, and voluntary, early childhood evidence-based home visiting services to eligible families in at-risk communities. Illinois MIECHV aims to target priority populations and improve child and family outcomes by implementing three evidence-based home visiting (HV) models in 11 at-risk communities (ARCs) across the state. The ARCs include urban sites with concentrations of poverty, suburban townships with fast-growing refugee and immigrant populations, and rural counties where isolation and lack of transportation exacerbate conditions for priority populations. In 2020-21, 83% of MIECHV families earned low incomes, 24% experienced low student achievement, 15% had a child with developmental delays or disabilities, 13% had child welfare involvement, and 8% indicated issues with substance use. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: Illinois MIECHV goals are to: (1) strengthen and improve programming to effectively support Title V activities; (2) increase implementation of coordinated services in ARCs to address needs of eligible families; and (3) identify and provide comprehensive services to improve outcomes for eligible families living in ARCs. Objectives include: maintain collaboration systematically engage Local Implementing Agencies and other partners in at least two Title V programmatic areas; systematically apply a health equity lens to data analysis and program planning; examine readiness, capacity and barriers to providing HV and coordinated services in 100% of MIECHV communities; each year, 100% of LIA and CI staff participate in required professional development; support and expand partnerships to recruit priority populations; establish a family engagement strategy and workplan at the state, community and program levels; through systematic quality assessment and CQI, ensure that 100% of LIAs provide high quality services; coordinate with comprehensive early childhood systems to ensure connection of HV to at least two systems; and each quarter, 100% of programs analyze demographic and benchmark data to improve family outcomes and service coordination. METHODOLOGY: Illinois continues to support three evidence-based models (PAT, HFA, and Family Connects) in 11 at-risk communities. Illinois MIECHV services continue to be provided in the following 11 communities: (1) Cicero (Cook County); (2) Southside Cluster in the City of Chicago (ie, Englewood, West Englewood and Greater Grand Crossing neighborhoods); (3) East St Louis (St. Clair County); (4) Lake County; (5) Elgin (Kane County); (6) City of Rockford (Winnebago County); (7) Stephenson County; (8) Peoria County; (9) Kankakee County; (10) Macon County; and (11) Vermilion County. Target populations remain the same, including families experiencing homelessness, pregnant and parenting youth in child welfare care, and families at risk for maternal depression. The current caseload of MIECHV family slots is 1260. The proposed caseload of family slots is 935for FFY2022 and 935 for FFY2023. Key activities to ensure linkages and referral networks include expanding on Title V partnerships including for children with special health care needs; working with Act Early to update the HV-Early Intervention action plan; identifying successes and barriers to partnering with other IDHS programs participating in the Cross-Sector Advisory Council of the Illinois Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems project (IL-ECCS); and monitoring referral data to identify strategies for improvement.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).