(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray announced that the Department of Health and Human Services will award a $6.5 million grant to the Washington State Department of Early Learning to help provide early childhood supports and home visits to families who volunteer to receive these services. This award is part of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program Senator Murray fought to be created by the Affordable Care Act.
The creation of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program responds to the diverse needs of children and families in communities at risk and provides an unprecedented opportunity for collaboration and partnership at the Federal, State, and community levels to improve health and development outcomes for at-risk children through evidence-based home visiting programs. Through the MIECHV Program, nurses, social workers, or other professionals meet with at-risk families in their homes, evaluate the families’ circumstances, and connect families to the kinds of help that can make a real difference in a child’s health, development, and ability to learn – such as health care, developmental services for children, early education, parenting skills, child abuse prevention, and nutrition education or assistance.
“This is a major victory for children and families across Washington state,” said Senator Patty Murray. “This award will help make sure that our state’s children get the support they need. I was proud to fight hard to make sure that this program was included in the Affordable Care Act, and I want to congratulate the state of Washington and the Department of Early Learning for their successful application and continued commitment to comprehensive early childhood education.”
For more information on HRSA’s MIECHV program, please visit: mchb.hrsa.gov/programs/homevisiting/.
To learn more about the Affordable Care Act, visit: www.HealthCare.gov.
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