More support for children and new families in health reform law

With the second birthday of health reform last month, we talked a lot about how kids have been the biggest beneficiaries. But there’s one benefit we didn’t really touch upon: home visitation. Voluntary home visitation programs have been around for a long time, providing in-home information and support by professionals to new families during pregnancies and the early years of their children’s lives.

Now nearly $72 million in federal support is going to 10 state governments for home visitation programs, the Department of Health and Human Services has announced. The money comes thanks to the health reform law and its Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. These kind of programs targeting the very young are often some of our best investments in youth, helping kids get off to the best start (and hopefully meaning less incarceration and more academic achievement for them in the future).

Learn more about home visitation programs from our friends at Pew!