The Pew report “Solving Social Ills Through Early Childhood Home Visiting” found early childhood home visiting programs can not only improve the lives of children and their families, but also have a positive gain for taxpayer investments.

The report shows there is a positive return on taxpayer investments when there is a reduction in medical costs for infants. Early childhood home visiting programs give women support and information on pregnancy, parenting and child development. With this education, mothers can make healthier decisions for themselves and their children.

Researchers also discovered children who receive early childhood home visits have improved school readiness skills and are at a lower risk for repeating the first grade. In addition, they found first-time mothers can benefit from home visiting as much as any at-risk mother who already has children.

Locally, the Nurse-Family Partnership in Duval County funded through the federal Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program provides home visits to low-income mothers throughout their pregnancy and the first two years of their child’s life. The Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition also provides high-risk women enrolled in the Healthy Start program with prenatal and postnatal home-visits.