Maternal, infant and early childhood homevisiting grant program - annotation: fahsc is currently providing evidence-based home visiting services in 35 high-risk counties with miechv funding

The Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions, Inc. received a $12.9 million Project Grant award on September 30, 2025, from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau under the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program (CFDA 93.870). The award funds the delivery of evidence-based home visiting services to vulnerable families in Florida's 35 high-risk counties through three approved models: Healthy Families America, Nurse-Family Partnership, and Parents as Teachers. Services are designed to improve child health, safety, and school readiness while supporting family economic self-sufficiency and preventing child maltreatment. By September 29, 2027, the grantee aims to serve a monthly caseload of 2,030 families residing in high-need areas.

The award supports the continuation of existing home visiting services across identified at-risk communities while enabling expansion into additional counties identified in Florida's 2020 statewide needs assessment. The program operates within a comprehensive state and community-level coordination framework, with home visitors including trained nurses, social workers, and early childhood specialists providing voluntary services to pregnant women and families with children up to kindergarten entry. The initiative contributes to development of an integrated statewide maternal and early childhood system of care by coordinating services across local implementing sites and supporting achievement of optimal participant outcomes through evidence-based practice implementation.

For FY 2025 award, fahsc plans to continue services to these communities; and, for FY25-26, fahsc intends to expand services into additional high-risk counties. Problem: the 2020 florida home visiting statewide needs assessment update identified 47 high-risk counties. The risk analysis was conducted using a framework of seven domains - child health and development, child maltreatment, family and community violence, perinatal outcomes, priority populations, socioeconomic status/social determinants of health, and substance use - and 25 corresponding indicators. Purpose: to improve outcomes for vulnerable families and contribute to the development of a coordinated system of evidence-based early childhood services at the state and community level. Goal(s) and objectives: florida miechv will improve the health, safety, and school readiness of children and families in florida's high-need communities as a result of their participation in evidence-based home visiting programs. • by september 29, 2027, provide evidence-based home visiting to a monthly caseload of 2,030 families living in high-need areas. • by september 29, 2026, local implementation sites funded by florida miechv will achieve, in aggregate, optimal outcomes for participants receiving evidence-based home visiting. Florida miechv will support and sustain the development of a well-integrated, comprehensive statewide maternal and childhood system of care through increased coordination at the state and community levels. Approach: since 2013, florida miechv has implemented three evidence-based home visiting models: healthy families america, nurse-family partnership, and parents as teachers. These models will continue to be funded for FY25-27 and will be delivered in 35 high-need communities - alachua, baker, BAY, bradford, broward, collier, columbia, desoto, dixie, duval, escambia, gadsden, gilchrist, hamilton, hardee, hendry, hernando, highlands, hillsborough, jackson, lafayette, lake, LEE, leon, levy, manatee, marion, martin, miami-dade, suwanee, okeechobee, orange, pinellas (substance-involved priority population), putnam, and union. Currently, in FY24-25, florida miechv provides funding to 16 lias to serve 1,854 families. In FY25-26, florida miechv plans to expand to new high-need communities and will serve an estimated 2,030 families with miechv formula funds. This expansion is supported through matching dollars. Non-federal funds used for match are allocated by the florida state legislature to florida NFP program. The funds are distributed to the florida department of health, which then distributes the funds to the NFP national service office. The NFP national service office contracts with fahsc to oversee the NFP contracts and the funding allocated to each organization. Key activities to ensure appropriate linkages and referral networks to other community resources and supports include continued coordination with connect and integration with the florida eccs p-3 initiative.