Home visiting is a service delivery strategy. It is used to support pregnant moms and new parents to promote infant and child health, foster educational development and school readiness, and help prevent child abuse and neglect. By providing services within the home, these models help overcome many barriers to participation (such as limited access to transportation or stigma around receiving services). By understanding the environmental context of participants’ lives home visitors are better able to understand families’ challenges and the support necessary to help them thrive.

Participation in these programs is voluntary and families may choose to opt out whenever they want. Home visitors may be trained nurses, social workers, child development specialists, and trained community members. Visits vary by model, from a focus on linking pregnant women with prenatal care, to promoting strong parent-child attachment, or coaching parents on learning activities that foster their child’s development and supporting parents’ role as their child’s first and most important teacher. Home visitors also conduct regular screenings to help parents identify possible health and developmental issues.  (From NCSL)

The home visiting models within the Colorado Home Visiting Coalition provide complimentary supports to families and target different age groups and outcomes.