What is MIECHV?

The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program

Evidence-Based And Voluntary

The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program strengthens communities by improving outcomes for children and their families. A cornerstone of evidence-based public policy, MIECHV provides funds for developing and implementing voluntary, evidence-based home visiting programs. Programs must meet at least four of six evidence-based benchmarks to satisfy the law’s rigorous requirements for demonstrated effectiveness.

These benchmarks are:

  • Improve maternal and newborn health
  • Reduce child injuries, abuse, and neglect
  • Improve school readiness and achievement
  • Reduce crime or domestic violence
  • Improve family economic self-sufficiency
  • Improve coordination and referral for other community resources

In 2019, across the country:

  • 82% of MIECHV caregivers were screened for depression within 3 months of enrollment or 3 months of delivery
  • 76% of children enrolled in MIECHV had a family member who read, told stories, and/or sang with them on a daily basis
  • 70% of MIECHV caregivers’ interaction was observed by a validated observation tool
  • 82% of MIECHV caregivers were screened for Intimate Partner Violence within 6 months of enrollment

Source: Health Resources and Services Administration, March 2020

Implemented Locally

State and local grantees determine the best way to use MIECHV funding to effectively address the unique needs of their communities. Seventy-five percent of funding must be dedicated to evidence-based programs, and up to 25 percent may be used for promising approaches with some funding reserved for research and evaluation.

Furthermore, MIECHV reserves three percent of all funding for tribal home visiting programs.

MIECHV identifies 19 evidence-based home visiting models proven to create positive outcomes for at-risk families:

Proven Home Visiting Models