New Jersey Secures $15.8 Million in Federal Home-Visiting Funds to Support At-Risk Families
New Jersey has been awarded $15.8 million in federal funding through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. This allocation is part of a larger national initiative totaling $525 million, marking the largest federal investment in the program's history. The MIECHV program supports home visits by trained professionals such as nurses, social workers, and early childhood educators to at-risk families in underserved communities. These voluntary visits aim to prevent chronic disease, child abuse and neglect, improve economic self-sufficiency, and enhance school readiness. In New Jersey, these federal funds will supplement an existing state framework, which includes a law signed by Governor Phil Murphy in July 2021, guaranteeing every family with a newborn at least one free home visit by a registered nurse within two weeks of birth. The state's home visiting programs are administered by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families across all 21 counties, utilizing evidence-...
