Maternal, infant and early childhood homevisiting grant program - the oklahoma state department of health (osdh) proposes to strengthen oklahoma's comprehensive early childhood system by supporting…

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) received an $8.7 million Project Grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau under the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program (CFDA 93.870) awarded September 30, 2025, for a two-year performance period through September 29, 2027. The award comprises $7.19 million in base funds and $1.51 million in federal matching funds to strengthen Oklahoma's early childhood system through coordinated, evidence-based home visiting services for at-risk families in Comanche, Oklahoma, and Tulsa counties. The initiative implements three primary strategies to improve coordination and family engagement: establishing Community Connectors—specially trained individuals who promote home visiting services and identify service gaps—to facilitate local coalitions; enhancing the ParentPro central intake and referral system with targeted marketing to improve outreach and retention; and implementing quality improvement initiatives within local implementing agencies to ensure effective service delivery across the program.

Sub-awardees supporting program implementation include the Parent Child Center of Tulsa Inc., which delivers the Family Connects home-visiting program providing postpartum health and wellness checks, in-home health screenings, community resource connections, and infant care education through trained nurses; and Sunbeam Family Services, Inc., contracted to provide Community Connector services in Oklahoma County. These sub-awards, made in May 2026, underscore OSDH's commitment to leveraging community-based organizations and local expertise to strengthen coordination between evidence-based home visiting programs and other community resources serving at-risk populations throughout the service area.

Maternal, infant and early childhood homevisiting grant program - the oklahoma state department of health (osdh) proposes to strengthen oklahoma's comprehensive early childhood system by supporting the delivery of coordinated, high-quality, and voluntary early childhood home visiting services to eligible families in high-risk communities identified through the updated needs assessment. Utilizing evidence-based home visiting programs (ebhvps), the project will focus on comanche, oklahoma, and tulsa counties. The initiative will address gaps in services for at-risk populations, improve coordination, and increase family engagement. Osdh is requesting $7,187,025 in base funds and $1,512,949 in federal matching funds, for a total of $8,699,973. Matching funds will be used to expand and support service delivery across participating communities, increasing the program's capacity and impact. Goals and objectives goal 1: improve coordination and collaboration objective: establish and sustain local home visiting coalitions led by community connectors to strengthen coordination between ebhvps and other community resources. Goal 2: increase outreach, engagement, and retention objectives: enhance the parentpro central intake system and support community connectors in recruitment efforts and community engagement activities. Goal 3: enhance the quality of ebhvp services objectives: implement new strategies within local implementing agencies (lias) and support local quality improvement projects to ensure effective service delivery. Approach to achieve these goals, osdh will implement the following innovative strategies: 1. Community connectors: specially trained individuals who promote home visiting services, identify service gaps, and foster partnerships with local stakeholders-especially to reach underserved or special populations. 2. Parentpro central intake system: a centralized intake and referral system supported by a targeted marketing campaign designed to improve outreach and streamline enrollment into appropriate home visiting services. 3. Integrated family support services: strengthen referral pathways to complementary services such as circle of parents, child guidance, soonerstart, and developmental screenings. Osdh will implement three ebhv models across the three at-risk counties: nurse-family partnership, parents as teachers, and safecare. These evidence-based models will be delivered by 10 local implementing agencies (lias) in FFY 2025. • caseload: o current as of 04/10/2025: 560 family slots o proposed FFY 2025: 786 family slots o proposed FFY 2026: 786 family slots o proposed FFY 2027: 786 family slots • miechv communities served: comanche county, oklahoma county, and tulsa county • local implementing agencies (lias): a total of 10 lias will receive FY 2025 miechv funding to deliver services in the identified high-risk communities. • matching funds: osdh is applying for $1,512,949 in federal matching funds. These funds will be used to enhance outreach efforts through the community connectors and expand quality and capacity of lias to serve additional families. The match will be supported by non-federal state funds. Enhanced coordination effortsoklahoma's ebhvp system is supported by a robust infrastructure, including: • the oklahoma partnership for school readiness (the state's early childhood advisory council), which provides strategic oversight. • miechv evaluation and management teams, which meet regularly to guide implementation and continuous improvement. • the family support professional community of practice and the parent partnership board, which foster collaboration, reduce duplication, and ensure family voice in decision-making. This comprehensive and community-driven approach will strengthen oklahoma's capacity to deliver equitable, high-quality home visiting services and improve long-term outcomes for vulnerable families.