What is home visiting?
Early childhood home visiting is a FREE, voluntary service in which a home-visiting specialist (often trained in nursing, social work, education or other related fields) meets with your family to help with parenting support, child development and behavior, immediate needs and resources, and maternal health, among other things! These home visiting agencies are usually private or non-profit organizations that serve families with varying needs. Although many of them may receive state or federal funding, they are not necessarily government entities.
Why home visiting?
Raising happy, healthy children was never meant to be a one-person or single-family job. We all need support and help from our community social network. Home visiting improves outcomes for mom, babies and the whole family. To learn more about the benefits of home visiting, check out our home visiting literature.
Benefits for mom
- Improved maternal health & mental health (both pre- and postpartum)
- Preparing your home for your baby
- Safe and healthy delivery
- Feeding support, including breastfeeding support
Benefits for babies
- Healthy growth and development, including brain development
- Preparation for and better performance in school
- Healthy attachment and bonding styles
- Screening and intervention for elevated needs
Benefits for the whole family
- Reduced familial stress
- Access to resources and support for immediate needs
- Knowledge about child development and behavior
- Stronger bonds, including parent-child bonding
- Positive parenting strategies
How do I start?
Anyone in Missouri can request home visiting services. These requests are called ‘referrals,’ but you do not need to be a health professional to request home visiting – you can make your own referral by selecting your county below.
- Select your county
- Click the orange “Begin Here” button that appears on your screen
- You will be redirected to a partnering agency’s website to begin your referral
- Once you submit your referral, the partnering agency will direct your referral to a home visiting organization that is suited to your needs, family and location
- The home visitor will contact you (usually by phone call) to set up your first visit
It is important to note that the partnering agency you are redirected to may not be the agency that provides you with home visiting. Although these partner agencies do offer home visiting services, their job is to match you with the best services for you based on your unique family and your location.