Home visits make a huge difference for struggling Missouri families. Keep them funded

When I was in my 40s, I went back to school to earn a degree in education. I never would have thought that would lead me to find the job of my dreams.

For the past eight years, I have worked as a home visitor with the Early Head Start program at a local community action agency in southeast Missouri. My typical day starts with visiting parents who need support raising their baby or toddler. Often these adults face challenges related to poverty, unemployment, drug use or isolation. There are any number of obstacles that create longer odds for a family to successfully raise a child in a positive and healthy atmosphere. Regardless of the obstacles they face, I’ve found that nearly all parents and children can benefit from the resources and guidance that home visiting provides.

Here’s how home visiting works: Trained professionals, whether they are social workers, nurses or early childhood educators like me, are connected to families who need help. The support we provide changes based on who we are visiting. In some cases, we might help with lactation strategies or bonding with a newborn. Or we might check on nutrition and other basics for both the mother and child. In every case, we bring an evidence-based curriculum designed to speak to the needs of the parents and children.

Here’s a real-world example: One family of four living in public housing suddenly faced difficulty when the father and sole breadwinner was diagnosed with two types of cancer. At the same time, their car broke down, leaving the family without transportation for three months. The turmoil of it all left both parents with few options and caused the kids to start acting out. They lacked the kind of family and community support that can prevent one or two bad days from cascading into a life-changing setback.

I helped the father file for disability, worked with both parents on strategies to address the children’s behavioral issues, and helped identify day care options for the kids after their mother got a job. Home visiting is important because it provides people the support they need to re-establish stability and keep from falling through the cracks.

Home visiting professionals are making a difference for thousands of families in Missouri and across the country. For all the families in crisis I’ve encountered, the most effective tool I’ve seen for helping get them on the right track has been home visiting. Numerous studies have shown that these programs improve economic self-sufficiency and reduce child abuse and neglect in the long term. But the examples I’ve mentioned show that home visiting can be absolutely invaluable in the short term, too.

The federal program that funds home visiting — the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program is about to expire this fall. If Congress lets that happen, thousands of families — including hundreds of households in Missouri alone — will be left without reliable access to this vital program. Not to mention the fact that providers like me will lose resources to do the job that we love.

I got into home visiting because I wanted a job that brought a new challenge every day and genuinely allowed me to help others. By sharing information, resources, time, and a listening ear, home visitors give families the tools they need to thrive. Reauthorizing funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program will ensure we will continue to be able to do that work for families in southeast Missouri and across the country.