Home visiting programs improve outcomes for babies by matching expectant parents and parents of young children with trained professionals who provide essential supports and services. Home visitors reach families where they are - right in their own homes.
Benefits of home visiting:
- promotes positive parent‐child relationships,
- increases school readiness,
- enhances parents’ abilities to support their children’s overall health and well‐being,
- improves family economic self‐sufficiency.
Home visiting programs are available in all 21 counties in New Jersey. Collectively, these programs serve thousands of NJ families annually. To learn more about which home visiting programs are available in each county or to get connected to a home visiting program visit ConnectingNJ.org.
Evidence-based Home Visiting Programs offered in New Jersey include:
Healthy Families NJ The Healthy Families program model is rooted in the belief that early nurturing relationships are essential for a healthy and productive life. Home visitors serve families prenatally up to age five using a strengths-based, family centered approach. Highly trained home visitors, usually from the community in which the families they serve reside, provide weekly visits to promote healthy growth and development, reduce risk factors and build protective factors. Screenings and assessments are also provided tailored to family need.
Parents As Teachers (PAT) Based on the premise that a child’s first and most influential teachers are their caregivers and families, PAT home visitors actively engages family members and nurture positive connections so every child can grow to reach their full potential. PAT is available for families with children prenatal through kindergarten and offers personal visits, group connections, resources and screenings for both child and caregiver.
Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) – NFP works to positively impact and transform the lives of first-time moms and their babies by providing support during pregnancy and the earliest years of a child’s life. Families are connected with a specially educated registered nurse who provides comprehensive support and preventative care, assessing both moms and babies to detect early warning signs of health or developmental problems during pregnancy, postpartum, infancy and early childhood.
Family Connects NJ Available to all NJ families who have welcomed a newborn into their lives whether through birth, adoption or as a resource parent or kinship caregiver. During the Family Connnects NJ visit, the nurse home visitor will assess the health of both the parents and the newborn and offer valuable information during this important transition. Covered areas can include feeding and sleeping tips, connecting parents to helpful resources in their community, or assisting families recovering from the tragedy of a stillbirth. Family Connects NJ is being phased in statewide and may not be available in every county yet. Check here to see if the program is available in your county.
Early Head Start – Home Based Option - provides high quality early childhood education, family support, and comprehensive services to infants and toddlers ages 0-3 and pregnant women in select locations in NJ. Home visitors come once a week and work with parents and their children. Together, the home visitor and parents plan ways to help the child learn using parent-child interactions, daily routines, and household materials. A small group of children, parents, and their home visitors also get together on a monthly basis for group socializations.
HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) At the heart of the HIPPY model is the home visit. During each visit, the home visitor provides the parent with the tools and materials that enable the parent to work directly with their child on developmentally appropriate activities. Home visitors support the parent’s understanding of early childhood development concepts and terminology that increase the parent’s ability to observe and understand their child’s learning process. This knowledge also allows parents to be better advocates for their children. Group meetings are also offered to allow parents to come together and share their experiences, leaving the isolation of the home in order to learn from and teach one another.
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