Investing in Colorado's future
The Colorado Home Visiting Coalition includes eight home visiting models. These home visiting programs focus on supporting kids and families in greatest need. Home visiting programs support both parents and children. This two-generation approach helps break the cycle of poverty and abuse. Together, the home visiting models in the Colorado Home Visiting Coalition (as well as Nurse-Family Partnership and Child First) served 10,565 children in 2021-22. Click here to view the 2022 Annual Report
The vast majority of families supported through home visiting live below the poverty line. So, while Colorado Home Visiting Coalition member programs serve a remarkable number of kids, the need is still far greater.
The Colorado Home Visiting Coalition includes seven home visiting models.
1
Counties served
111
Children served ('21-'22)
123
Home Visits ('21-'22)
Colorado Home Visiting Coalition Models
Learn more about the impacts and outcomes from each of the Colorado Home Visiting Coalition models by clicking on the logos below.
Programs by Age of Child Served
The seven home visiting models in the Colorado Home Visiting Coalition serve children and families from prenatal through kindergarten. Colorado Home Visiting Coalition members provide complimentary services to families across the state. The chart below illustrates the ages of children served by different models. Note: Family Connects provides home visits for the families of children born within the last 3 weeks in select counties. Click here to learn more
prenatal
birth
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2
3
4
5
Kindergarten
Healthy Families America
Healthy Steps
Baby Bear Hugs
Home Based Head Start
SafeCare Colorado
PAT
HIPPY
Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is an evidence-based home visiting program that helps parents prepare their 2, 3, 4 and 5-year old children for success in school and throughout life
Impact and Outcomes in Colorado
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Significant Gains in Child Learning
Data show significant gains in child learning that were the direct result of HIPPY programming.
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Parents More Knowledgable
Data from the parent knowledge study showed that HIPPY parents are more knowledgeable of school readiness strategies than non-HIPPY parents. Parents were also able to articulate specific activities they use with their children.
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Better Behaved and Prepared to Learn
According to data from the kindergarten teacher study, HIPPY children are better prepared for learning and better behaved than non-HIPPY children, and their parents are more engaged in their learning.
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More Engaged in Reading
HIPPY children were more engaged in reading interaction than non-HIPPY children, and they were read to more on a daily basis.
Research shows
Parents are more engaged in reading, talking and working with their children
- Home literacy environments improve and parent involvement in children’s academic learning increase. (Necoechea, 2007; Garcia, 2006; O’Brien, 2007)
- Parents participating in the HIPPY program report spending more time reading to their children and teaching them letters, words and numbers. They also spend more time visiting the library and monitoring their child’s TV use. (Black, 2010; McEnturff, 2014; Palladino, 2015)
HIPPY improves children's school readiness
- Children in the HIPPY program show statistically significant gains in school readiness while participating in the program. (McEnturff, 2014; Palladino, 2015)
HIPPY leads to higher achievement in school
- Children participating in HIPPY have demonstrated statistically significant higher achievement scores in reading, math and social studies (3rd, 5th and 6th grades) based on multiple measures. (Bradley& Gilkey, 2002; Brown & Lee, 2014; Center for Human Investment Policy, 2003; Garcia, 2006; Neivar & Jacobson, 2011)
- Children who participated in HIPPY adapt to the classroom better than children from comparable backgrounds and are less likely to be retained a grade. (Baker, Piotrkowski & Brooks-Gunn, 1999)
Participating in the program increases parental involvement
- Nine out of ten HIPPY parents credit the program with motivating them to check that their school-age children have completed their homework. (Cuenca, 2003)
- Teachers report higher levels of participation in parent-teacher conferences and other school events among HIPPY parents compared to their non-HIPPY counterparts. (Black, 2010)
State Program Office
Program Details
- Age: 2 through kindergarten
- Frequency: Weekly for 30 wks each year before kindergarten; 15 bi-weekly visits for kindergarteners
More Resources
For nearly 30 years, Healthy Families America (HFA) ) an evidence-based parent support and education program has worked toward a singular vision: all children receive nurturing care from their family that leads to a healthy, long, and successful life. HFA promotes child well-being and prevents the abuse and neglect of children in communities around the world through family focused and empathic support provided in the home.
Impact and Outcomes in Colorado
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Link families with community resources
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Parents More Knowledgable
Share information on children’s development, parent-child relationships, early literacy, discipline, safety and nutrition
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Create and maintain a safe and caring home for their family
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Develop a healthy bond with their child
State Program Office
Program Details
- Age: Prenatal to 3
- Frequency: Weekly to monthly, depending on the parent’s progress.
More Resources
Parents as Teachers (PAT) is an evidence-based parent education and support program designed to empower parents as their child’s first teacher. PAT utilizes a home visitation model, working with families from pregnancy until their child leaves kindergarten. Parents as Teachers aims to improve parenting practices by increasing a parent’s knowledge of early childhood development. Through home visits and ongoing assessment, parent educators provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues, help in the prevention of child abuse and neglect, and increase children’s school readiness and success.
Impact and Outcomes in Colorado
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School Readiness
From pre to post, children demonstrated statistically significant increases in percentile rank scores on school readiness test.
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Increased Mastery
Subtest mastery increased significantly in all five areas: colors, letters, numbers/counting, size comparisons, and shapes.
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More Supportive Parenting
Over the course of the year the proportion of parents demonstrating average or above average developmentally appropriate behaviors changed significantly for the total PICCOLO score. Parents demonstrated change in all four subscales as well: affection, responsiveness, encouragement, and teaching.
Research shows
PAT promotes children's language and literacy
- PAT families with very low income were more likely to read aloud to their children and to tell stories, and sing with their children.
- More than 75% of parents in PAT reported taking their child to the library regularly and modeling enjoyment of reading and writing.
- PAT parents are more likely to promote reading and PAT families have more books at home.
Improved parenting knowledge and skill
- PAT parents showed significant improvements in parent knowledge, behavior and attitudes
- Teen mothers showed greater improvement in knowledge about discipline.
Parents are more involved in their child's school
- Sixty-three percent of PAT parents (vs 37 percent of non-PAT parents) requested parent-teacher conferences.
- PAT parents were more likely to enroll their children in preschool. They were also more likely to attend school events, volunteer in the classroom, talk with their children’s teacher and help with homework.
State Program Office
Program Details
- Age: prenatal through kindergarten
- Frequency: biweekly to monthly depending on need
More Resources
Home-Based Head Start promotes the school readiness of low-income children by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development. This takes place in a learning environment that supports growth across numerous subjects and domains.
Research shows
Fewer child welfare encounters
A follow-up study of several sites that were part of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSREP), found that children enrolled in EHS:
- had significantly fewer child welfare encounters (i.e., a substantiated report of child maltreatment or an out-of-home placement due to child maltreatment) between ages 5 and 9 years than children who were not enrolled in EHS. (Green et al., 2014)
- Children enrolled in EHS were less likely to have multiple child welfare encounters, and EHS slowed the rate of future encounters. (Green et al., 2014)
Reduction in attention problems and experience with bullying
Another study found long term impacts:
African American children who participated in Early Head Start, (compared to the control) had fewer attention problems and were less likely to report being bullied by peers.
Families were more involved in school, provided more support for education in the home. They also reported fewer family moves, fewer depressive symptoms, and less use of alcohol.
Higher educational attainment for parents
A follow up study found that for Hispanic families, Early Head Start had long-term benefits at the trend level in the area of family self-sufficiency.Hispanic mothers who had participated in Early Head Start had higher educational attainment.
State Program Office
Head Start Collaboration Office
Heather Craiglow
Director
Program Details
- Age: 0 to 5
- Frequency: weekly
HealthySteps, a program of ZERO TO THREE, is an evidence-based, interdisciplinary pediatric primary care program that promotes the health, well-being and school readiness of babies and toddlers, with
an emphasis on families living in low-income communities. Visit healthysteps.org or contact ZERO
TO THREE to learn more.
Research shows
Reduced the cost of future maternal and child mental health interventions
New research Early Childhood Behavioral Health Integration Activities and HealthySteps: Sustaining Practice, Averting Costs found that HealthySteps reduced the cost of future maternal and child health interventions. These savings were greater than the cost of the program.
Parents were more able to access necessary resources
- Children were 1.4x more likely to have non-medical referrals, including for behavior, speech, hearing, child abuse or neglect, and early intervention.
- Families were 4x more likely to receive information on community resources.
- Parents received more services and had longer clinic visits.
Improved child safety
- Children were 23% less likely to visit the emergency room for injuries in a 1-year period.
- Mothers were 24% less likely to place newborns on their stomachs to sleep, reducing SIDS risk.
- Parents scored higher on an injury control index, and families were more likely to use stair gates and have access to the local poison control center’s telephone number.
More secure attachment to parents
By age three, HealthySteps children showed more secure attachment to their parents and less aggressive behavior in general.
State Program Office
Program Details
- Age: 0 - 3
- Frequency: In pediatric offices during well-child visits; in home between visits
More Resources
SafeCare® Colorado is a free, voluntary parent support program for parents and caregivers with children ages five and under who need extra support to keep their families safe and healthy. Parent support providers help you build on your existing skills in the areas of parent-child interactions, home safety and child health. SafeCare® typically takes 18-20 weekly sessions to complete (about 4-6 months) and each session lasts 1 to 1.5 hours. SafeCare® Colorado is delivered in the home or another convenient location by trained parent support providers.
Impact and Outcomes in Colorado
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Reduction in child welfare cases
Research found that SafeCare Colorado participants were significantly less likely to have an open child welfare case six months after completion compared to similar Colorado families.
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Reduction of hazards in the home
Assessments completed after the parents participated in the safety curriculum showed an average decrease of 45 hazards per household or a reduction of 87%.
Research shows
Significant reduction in further maltreatment
In terms of child maltreatment outcomes, Gershater-Molko, Lutzker, & Wesch, (2002) compared families receiving SafeCare services to families receiving standard family preservation services in California, and found that:
- SafeCare families were significantly less likely to have a recurrence of child maltreatment (15% over three years) compared to services-as-usual families (44% over three years).
Other research found:
- SafeCare reduced child maltreatment recidivism by about 26% relative to services as usual. (Chaffin, Hecht, Bard, Silovsky, & Beasley, 2012) among parents of children ages 0-5 (the primary target of SafeCare).
Improved safety
In the Gershater-Molko, Lutzker, & Wesch study the number of home hazards was reduced by 78% for maltreating families.
Increased use of new parenting skills
Additionally, an uncontrolled group trial of SafeCare found that: parents showed significant change in the behaviors targeted by the SafeCare model, that is, improved safety, health, and parenting skills. (Gershater-Molko, Lutzker, & Wesch 2003)
- There was an 84% increase in the use of the parenting skills taught.
State Program Office
Program Details
- Age: 0 - 5
- Frequency: weekly for 4-6 months
More Resources
Baby Bear Hugs helps establish supportive relationships, provides parenting education, and connects parents/caregivers to resources. Stress is reduced, children benefit through increased school readiness, health and resilience. Baby Bear Hugs is free and serves all families, parents and caregivers, prenatally and with children through 5 years old through certified Parenting Educators.
Impact and Outcomes in Colorado
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Reduced Parental Stress
After involvement with Baby Bear Hugs, 52% of families reported a reduction in parental stress on the parental stress index (PSI).
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Reduced Parental Distress
Reports of parental distress are lower for those involved. Evaluation found a decrease in distress among 45% of the families. Parental distress is the distress a parent is experiencing as a function of personal factors that are directly related to parenting.
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Increased information about community resources
All families utilized at least one resource presented to them, 84% of the resources presented were utilized.
Program Details
- Age: prenatal - k
- Frequency: Weekly to monthly as needed
More Resources
Family Connects is an evidence-based model and successfully demonstrated program that supports all newborns and their families through postpartum nurse home visits. A registered nurse visits the families at their home during the 3 weeks after birth to check on the parent, baby and the whole family to provide support and connect them with community resources tailored to their needs. Anyone with a newborn in the areas where the program is implemented in Colorado can participate, including foster, adoptive, kinship, immigrant, and refugee families.
Impact and Outcomes
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More connections to community resources
According to an ongoing study begun in 2009 "community connections increased by 15%".
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Less maternal-reported depression and anxiety
Mothers were 28% less likely to report possible postpartum clinical anxiety.
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Lower rates of CPS investigation for suspected abuse/neglect
Mothers reported significantly more positive parenting behaviors, like hugging, comforting and reading to their infants; no significant differences were found in negative parenting behaviors. Home environments were improved — homes were safer and had more learning materials to support infant development.
State Program Office
Program Details
- Age: less than 3 weeks
- Frequency: usually one visit
More Resources
800 Grant St Suite 200
Denver, CO 80203
Denver, CO 80203
303.860.6000
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