Office of Early Childhood Receives $10.4 Million in Federal Funding to Support State Home Visiting Program

Funding will expand home visiting services in 42 Connecticut communities

Hartford – February 24, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood today announced that Connecticut will be receiving an additional $10.4 million in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (Home Visiting Program). These funds will allow Connecticut to expand voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services to women during pregnancy and to parents with young children. Connecticut was awarded $1 million of federal funding for the Home Visiting Program last August.

“These are important federal dollars that will expand services dramatically. This grant will help thousands more families in communities across the state receive support and home visits – and it’s another way we’re investing in early childhood and support like never before in Connecticut,” said Governor Dannel P. Malloy. “As we make smart choices today for a brighter Connecticut tomorrow, these federal dollars will no doubt help us take our state into the future. I would like to thank the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood for all its work on this grant, as well as the Congressional delegation for its support.”

Connecticut’s grant award will allow the state’s home visiting programs to expand their work in increasing parent knowledge of early childhood development and improving parenting practices, providing early detection of developmental delays and health issues, preventing child abuse and neglect, and increasing children’s school readiness and school success. Services will be expanded in the following high-risk communities with unmet need: Ashford, Bloomfield, Bolton, Bridgeport, Bristol, Canterbury, Colchester, Danbury, East Hartford, East Haven, Fairfield, Glastonbury, Griswold, Hartford, Killingly, Lisbon, Manchester, Mansfield, Meriden, Milford, New Hartford, New Haven, New London, North Branford, Norwich, Plainfield, Putnam, South Windsor, Southington, Sprague, Sterling, Stratford, Torrington, Trumbull, Vernon, Wallingford, Waterbury, West Hartford, West Haven, Winchester, Windham and Windsor.

“Parenting is incredibly rewarding, but it’s not always easy. Our evidence-based home visiting programs give parents the extra support they need to ensure the healthy development of their young children and the continued strength of their families,” said OEC Commissioner Dr. Myra Jones-Taylor. “With these additional funds, we will be able to build upon and strengthen a much needed system of support for infants and toddlers and their families.”

“The support we provide children at an early age greatly impacts their health and development. With this award made possible by the Affordable Care Act, Connecticut can continue to expand vital services for children and families that will ensure the wellbeing of our communities for generations to come. We commend Governor Malloy and the Office of Early Childhood for their commitment to Connecticut’s children and efforts to receive this crucial funding,” said the entire Connecticut Congressional Delegation in a joint statement.

The Home Visiting Program builds upon decades of scientific research, which shows that families that choose home visits by a nurse, social worker or early childhood educator during pregnancy and in the first years of life benefit from important support services for healthy children and families. Home visiting programs have also been shown to prevent child abuse and neglect, school readiness, and promote child health and development.

A total of $386 million was awarded to states, territories and nonprofit organizations as part of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (Home Visiting Program) established by the Affordable Care Act. Administered by HRSA, in close partnership with the Administration for Children and Families, the Home Visiting Program is one part of President Obama’s Early Learning Initiative that focuses on both high-quality infant and toddler care through Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships and universal Pre-K to improve the essential foundations in early childhood for future healthy development and well-being.

The Home Visiting Program serves as one part of a prenatal to age five continuum with the other parts of President Obama’s Early Learning Initiative: both high-quality infant and toddler care through Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships and universal Pre-K to optimize the essential foundations in early childhood for future healthy development and well-being.

For more information on HRSA’s Home Visiting Program, visit: http://mchb.hrsa.gov/programs/homevisiting.

For a list of awardees, visit: www.hrsa.gov/about/news/2015tables/homevisiting.

The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood is the state’s leader in providing a comprehensive, collaborative system for delivering improved programs and services to children from birth to five years old and their families. To contact the Office of Early Childhood, please visit our website at www.ct.gov/oec or call (860) 713-6410.