October 1, 2020

EDC to Lead New National MIECHV Technical Assistance Resource Center

EDC has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to launch and lead a new Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Technical Assistance (TA) Resource Center.

Over the next five years, EDC and partners James Bell Associates, Change Matrix, and Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development will support MIECHV awardees in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories in strengthening home visiting services to improve outcomes for pregnant women, children, and families.

The new national Center will include a focus on health equity and sustaining home visiting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Center TA specialists will provide the following evidence-based, proactive services tailored to address the urgent and evolving needs and priorities of home visiting programs:

  • Intensive support from TA specialists and experts in all key aspects of home visiting (e.g., family engagement, financial management, performance measurement, mental health)
  • Ongoing communities of practice to foster peer learning and support
  • Extensive tools, resources, and online learning events informed by annual needs assessments and the guidance of an MIECHV awardee advisory group
  • A continuous quality improvement practicum to support rapid progress in enhancing the effectiveness of services
  • Three academies per year to build awardee leadership skills
  • Annual all-awardee meetings to highlight new research and best practices

Through their work on the Center, TA specialists will build upon and expand the successes of two recent HRSA-funded initiatives led by EDC: the HV Improvement Action Center Team and the Home Visiting Performance Measurement and Continuous Quality Improvement TA Center.

“EDC is so pleased to be chosen by HRSA to lead the new MIECHV TA Resource Center,” said EDC senior project director Elaine Fitzgerald Lewis. “We deeply respect and value home visitors and look forward to continuing to partner with awardees to support their crucial work.”

Learn more about EDC’s work in early childhood development and learning.