Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Homevisiting Grant Program - Purpose: Ohio will utilize evidence-based home visiting services (EBHV) to address the current disparities in maternal and child health, child abuse and neglect, school readiness and positive parenting to provide parents with the support needed to achieve the goals they have for themselves and their families. All expectant parents, new parents, and caregivers benefit from receiving support to prepare, care for and foster the development of their babies. However, research finds that families with economic and social barriers most benefit from consistent, regular, and non-judgmental family support programming. Goals and Objectives: Goal 1: Increase the capacity of MIECHV programs and communities to implement effective evidence-based home visiting services. Goal 2: Improve statewide performance on safe sleep education. Goal 3: Establish Parent Engagement and Satisfaction Rates. Approach: Caseload: Approximately 2,302 families in total will be served in FFY26 and FFY27. Ohio will fund a statewide infrastructure through Bright Beginnings, the current central intake and referral vendor. Bright Beginnings will secure major referral partnerships with Medicaid providers, the Women Infant and Children (WIC) program, and local Public Children Services Agencies (PCSAs), as well as develop and implement community-based recruitment strategies. Through the intake process, each family will be screened and connected to an evidenced-based home visiting (EBHV) program of their choice. In addition to the intake screening, Ohio EBHV providers shall facilitate a comprehensive assessment for each family. The comprehensive assessment will identify challenges, barriers, community linkages needed, as well identify family strengths that will be leveraged to achieve the overarching goal of self-sufficiency. MIECHV Communities Served: Twenty-seven (27) counties will be funded and are considered high-need communities: Adams, Allen, Athens, Butler, Clark, Coshocton, Cuyahoga, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Guernsey, Hamilton, Highland, Jackson, Lawrence, Lucas, Mahoning, Marion, Meigs, Montgomery, Morgan, Muskingum, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Summit and Vinton. The additional slots will be awarded in the counties with the highest number of infant deaths and who need to increase slots to be aligned with comparable county allocations. Those counties are Butler, Cuyahoga, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, and Montgomery. LIAs: Ohio has 19 LIAs/local sites that are designated to receive FY25 MIECHV funding. Matching Funds: $2,134,297 federal match amount requested as “contractual” to be spent by LIAs. The matchings funds, in addition to the increased base amount, will support existing communities expand the number of slots available in those counties. The non-federal funding source for matching federal funds ($711,432) originates from state general revenue funds legislatively appropriated and obligated for evidence-based home visiting (above and beyond the MOE amount already committed). These non-federal funds contributed as support of the federal matching funds will be allocated to Bright Beginnings, the current central intake and referral vendor.
