Affordable Care Act (ACA) Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program

The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV Program) is designed : (1) to strengthen and improve the programs and activities carried out under Title V; (2) to improve coordination of services for at risk communities; and (3) to identify and provide comprehensive services to improve outcomes for families who reside in at risk communities. The MIECHV Program was created to support voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services for at-risk pregnant women and parents with young children up to kindergarten entry. The program builds upon decades of scientific research that shows home visits conducted by a nurse, social worker, early childhood educator, or other trained professional during pregnancy and in the first years of a child's life improves the lives of children and families. Home visiting helps prevent child abuse and neglect, supports positive parenting, improves maternal and child health, and promotes child development and school readiness.

Eligibility for funding is limited to a single application from each State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. The Governor has the responsibility and authority to designate which entity or group of entities will apply for and administer home visiting program funds on behalf of the State or US Territory. Regardless of the entity or entities designated by the Governor, this application must contain the concurrence and signatures of the: • Director of the State's Title V agency; • Director of the State's agency for Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA); • The State's child welfare agency (Title IV-E and IV-B), if this agency is not also administering Title II of CAPTA: • Director of the State's Single State Agency for Substance Abuse Services; • The State's Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Administrator; • Director of the State's Head Start State Collaboration Office, and • The State's Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care authorized by 642B(b)(1)(A)(i) of the Head Start Act. For those states that have elected not to participate in MIECHV, nonprofit organizations with an established record of providing early childhood home visiting programs or initiatives in a state or several states are eligible to apply to carry out programs in those states.

• Eligible families residing in communities in need of such services, as identified in a State needs assessment • Low-income eligible families • Eligible families who are pregnant women under age 21 • Eligible families with a history of child abuse or neglect or have had interactions with child welfare services • Eligible families with a history of substance abuse or need substance abuse treatment • Eligible families that have users of tobacco products in the home • Eligible families that are or have children with low student achievement • Eligible families with children with developmental delays or disabilities • Eligible families who, or that include individuals serving or formerly serving in the Armed Forces, including those with members who have had multiple deployments outside the US Eligible family: o A woman who is pregnant, and the father of the child if available, or o A parent or primary caregiver of the child, including grandparents or other relatives and foster parents serving as the child's primary caregiver from birth until kindergarten entry, including a noncustodial parent with an ongoing relationship with, and at times provides physical care for the child

Applicants should review the individual HRSA funding opportunity announcement issued under this CFDA program for any required proof or certifications of education and/or training which must be submitted prior to or simultaneous with submission of an application package.

1. The statute reserves the majority of funding for the delivery of services through use of one or more evidence-based home visiting service delivery models. In addition, it supports continued innovation by allowing up to 25 percent of total funds awarded for the fiscal year to support service delivery through promising approaches that do not yet qualify as evidence-based models. Assistance can potentially be used for enhancing awardees' infrastructure for improving coordination of services for at-risk communities and identifying and providing comprehensive services to improve outcomes for families who reside in at-risk communities, as well as for implementing awardees home visiting service programs. To ensure that the required statutory distribution is maintained, all MIECHV programs must demonstrate that they are being delivered in conformity with the approved service delivery models. This fidelity is demonstrated by programs that have the requisite designation and/or approval from a model developer to provide evidence-based home visiting services. MIECHV-funded programs must maintain the requisite designation and/or approval from the model developer while receiving MIECHV funding. 2. Restrictions: No more than 10 percent of the award amount may be spent on costs associated with administering the award, this restriction does not apply to subrecipients. Funds made available to a recipient for a fiscal year shall remain available for expenditure by the recipient through the end of the second succeeding fiscal year after award. Funds that have not been expended during the period of availability will be deobligated and no longer available for use by the recipient.

Funds awarded to an eligible entity for a fiscal year remain available for expenditure through the end of the second succeeding fiscal year after award.

HRSA requires all applicants to apply electronically through Grants.gov.

All formula applications will be reviewed internally by grants management officials (business and financial review) and program staff (technical review) for eligibility, completeness, accuracy, and compliance with the requirements outlined in this announcement. All competitive applications will be reviewed internally by grants management officials (business and financial review) and program staff (technical review) for eligibility, completeness, accuracy, and compliance with the requirements outlined in this announcement. All qualified applications will be forwarded to an independent objective review committee. Based on the advice of the independent objective review committee, the HRSA program official with delegated authority is responsible for final selection and funding decisions. Application Review Information of the relevant funding opportunity announcement.

Formula Grants: All qualified applications will be reviewed internally by grants management officials (business and financial review) and program staff (technical review) for eligibility, completeness, accuracy, and compliance with the requirements outlined in this announcement. The HRSA program official with delegated authority is responsible for final selection and funding decisions. Competitive Grants: All qualified applications will be forwarded to an independent objective review committee. Based on the advice of the independent objective review committee, the HRSA program official with delegated authority is responsible for final selection and funding decisions. Notification is made in writing by an electronic Notice of Award.

Contact the Headquarters or Regional Office as appropriate for application deadlines or view the specific funding opportunity announcement.

Formula funds are awarded on an annual basis.