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Office of Children's Health

Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program

What is the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program?

March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Included in this Act is language authorizing Section 511, an amendment to Title V of the Social Security Act. This act establishes the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program which will provide funds for evidence-based home visiting to families in at-risk communities. Arizona's allocation for federal fiscal year 2010 is approximately $1.8 million.

Why is this necessary?

Studies have shown the importance of the first few years of a child's life. Home visiting for pregnant women and families with young children helps to support new parents by offering information on child health and development, reduce child abuse, helps in the early identification of developmental delays, and supports family self sufficiency and school readiness.

What are the Goals of this Program?

The goals of the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program are to strengthen and improve the programs and activities carried out under this title; to improve coordination of services for at risk communities; and to identify and provide comprehensive services to improve outcomes for families who reside in at risk communities.

How will this happen?

The law requires every state to conduct a needs assessment in order to identify communities with concentrations of poor maternal and child health outcomes. In anticipation of responding to the application, the Bureau of Women's and Children's Health met with the other state agencies who care for young children. These agencies include the Arizona Department of Economic Security, the Arizona Department of Education, and the Early Childhood Development and Health Board, also known as First Things First. The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona also participated.

The needs assessment was submitted September 20, 2010. The federal statute clearly described the elements to be used to identify the communities with concentrations of poor maternal and child health outcomes. The statute also required states to identify the quality and capacity of existing programs or initiatives for early childhood home visitation in the State.

Arizona's Needs Assessment

The information about current home visiting programs was drawn heavily from the Vision for Early Childhood Home Visiting Services in Arizona: a Plan for Action 2010-2015.

The third and final application will be the submission of an Updated State Plan. The state will make the final designation of the targeted at risk communities and submit a specific plan tailored to address the identified needs. The home visiting model selected must meet rigorous evidence based criteria. There will be guidance from the funders in the selection of these models. The plan must also show how the model selected matches the needs identified and how fidelity to the model will be assured.

Home Visiting Program Updates

Note: Information provided in PDF files, unless otherwise noted.