Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Homevisiting Grant Program - Purpose: The District of Columbia Department of Health (DC Health) will provide high-quality, evidence-based home visiting services to 340 eligible families of perinatal women and children ages 0–5 who reside in geographical areas identified in the updated 2020 Needs Assessment as having the greatest need and poorest health outcomes, including Health Planning Groups located in Wards 4, 5, 7, and 8. The overall aim is to improve maternal and child health and well-being through partnerships with community-based organizations and direct services implementing the following evidence-based home visiting models: Healthy Families America (HFA), Parents as Teachers (PAT), and SafeCare Augmented (SafeCare). Matching funds will be used to sustain and strengthen prior program expansion and services, enhance program structure and efficiency, increase family engagement and strengthen the home visiting workforce. These efforts will include maintaining the number of local implementing agencies (LIAs) serving the identified Wards, conducting a community readiness assessment, developing a centralized home visiting platform, implementing strategic communication initiatives and supporting ongoing professional development for the home visiting workforce within the District. Priority Goals and Objectives for FY 2026 – FY 2028 Goal 1: Increase the percentage of children who receive developmental screenings and are referred to early intervention services, as needed, per developmental screening results.?? Objective: By September 29, 2028, increase the percentage of children ages 9 through 35 months who receive timely developmental screenings from 82.1% to 85% Goal 2: Enhance the current referral platform to provide a centralized system to connect families with programs and resources most suitable to the families’ needs.? Objective: By September 29, 2028, partner with Help Me Grow DC to strengthen the centralized intake process and data management system to enhance care coordination, service linkages, and referrals to home visiting programs. Goal 3: Implement strategic outreach, program promotion, and communication initiatives across multiple communication channels to strengthen community awareness and engagement. Objective: By September 29, 2028, build and implement an effective outreach and communication strategy to strengthen community engagement and increase awareness and utilization of home visiting programs across the District. Approach: DC Health will serve Health Planning Groups 2, 8, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, and 39 in Wards 4, 5, 7, and 8. The proposed caseload will be 340 eligible families with DC Health implementing SafeCare Augmented to 120 eligible families, HFA servicing 40 eligible families and PAT servicing 180 eligible families. FY2026 funds will support the implementation of SafeCare Augmented. Key investments for matching funds include funding Community of Hope HFA, implementing professional development to 35 home visitors facilitated by Mamatoto Village, conducting a community readiness assessment, and implementing strategic communication initiatives.
