National Home Visiting Coalition: Share Your Tweets in Support of Home Visiting

With public health at risk and the social safety net in higher demand, these professionals are working overtime to deliver services to families in an unprecedented remote environment that provides its own unique challenges for families and service providers. In Michigan, we support many home-based services including those federally funded through the Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, our own Maternal, Infant Health Program for families receiving Medicaid, Infant Mental Health services and Early On, our infant and toddler special education program. By raising our voices on social media to underscore why home visiting needs federal support during this time, we can make the case to Congress for this funding and flexibility:

• $100 million for the Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program – These funds can be used to train home visitors to deliver services through technology that enables home visits from a distance, as well as tangible needs for families including technology, formula, diapers, etc.
• Permitting virtual visits to be considered home visits through the end of the calendar year to safely preserve valuable relationships without being penalized.
• Maintaining all funding for and staffing levels of MIECHV programs regardless of potential temporary reductions in enrollment to preserve the existing home visiting infrastructure.

Please feel free to include the name of your organization and adapt the message in the sample tweets below, or make up your own!

Congress: unleash the power of #homevisiting to help meet the needs of vulnerable children and families isolated at home due to #covid19! Give #homevisitingworks the flexibility and resources for remote connections, emergency supplies. @hvworks

Home visitors are a crucial part of the #covid19 safety net for young children and families. With additional flexibility and resources for virtual home visits and emergency supplies, they could do even more. #homevisitingworks #homevisiting @hvworks.

Families need support more than ever to get through #covid19. Congress should provide $100 million to help home visitors stay connected to families with young children remotely and deliver emergency supplies #homevisitingworks #homevisiting @hvworks.