The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed by President Obama in 2010, provides $1.5 billion over five years for state-based early childhood home visitation grant programs. To be eligible for funding, states must conduct a home visiting needs assessment. The assessment requires states to identify high-risk communities as well as the quality and capacity of existing home visitation programs.

• View Pew's summary of the law's home visiting provision (PDF). 

Pew as a Resource 

The Pew Home Visiting Campaign partners with policy makers and advocates to promote smart state and federal investments in quality, voluntary home-based programs for new and expectant families.

The campaign is offering resources to assist states with their required needs assessment efforts, including providing state-specific question and answer sessions and an ongoing webinar series. The free webinars feature state agency experts from across the country and address topics such as performance measures, evidence standards, coordination and finance. State agency employees and local program administrators can e-mail home visiting staff to request assistance for their state or sign up for webinars.

State Resources

The following resources provide greater detail and answer questions about the federal home visiting initiative:

• Federal Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) — June 2010
• Department of Health and Human Services FOA Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) — June 2010
• Pew Home Visiting Campaign FOA Summary (PDF)
• Proposed Criteria for Evidence of Effectiveness of Home Visiting Models
• State Lead Agencies: Affordable Care Act Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (PDF)
• Needs assessment guidance: Affordable Care Act Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (PDF)
• Home Visiting Supplemental Information Request (SIR) (includes models that meet the criteria for evidence base)  — February 2011 
• Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness website
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services home visiting webinars
• MOE Flexibility Clause (PDF) — May 2011