Testimony on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program
Investing Early: The Children’s Trust Supports Reauthorization of MIECHV
The Children’s Trust is proud to support the reauthorization of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, known as MIECHV. MIECHV provides critical federal funding for evidence-based home visiting programs that support pregnant women and parents of young children. In Massachusetts, the Children’s Trust administers Healthy Families Massachusetts, which connects first-time parents with trained home visitors during pregnancy or a child’s first year of life. Through free, voluntary home visits, families receive parenting and child development guidance, goal-setting support, and connections to local resources — helping parents build safe, stable, and nurturing homes where children can thrive.
July 9, 2026
Re: Children’s Trust of Massachusetts Testimony on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood
Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program
Dear Chairman LaHood, Ranking Member Davis, and Members of the Work & Welfare
Subcommittee:
On behalf of the Children’s Trust of Massachusetts, thank you for the opportunity to submit comments
on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. MIECHV is one of the clearest
examples of a federal investment that reaches families early, helps prevent more costly challenges
later, and produces measurable benefits for children and families.
In Massachusetts, the Children’s Trust administers Healthy Families Massachusetts, an evidencebased home visiting program that connects first time parents with trained home visitors
during pregnancy or during a child’s first year of life. The program provides free, voluntary home
visits, parenting and child development guidance, goal-setting support, and connections to local
resources for three years.
The value of home visiting is clear: it strengthens families, improves outcomes for children, and
delivers a measurable return on public investment. A cost-benefit analysis of Healthy Families
Massachusetts found that, for every dollar invested, the program returns an estimated $3.11 in
benefits. Even under more conservative sensitivity analyses, the return remained positive,
ranging from $1.44 to $3.34 per dollar invested. i
The return on investment reflects meaningful outcomes for communities: safer children, healthier
parents, more stable families, and reduced strain on public systems. Home visiting is linked to
reduced recurrence of child maltreatment, fewer maternal depressive symptoms, reduced substance
use, fewer emergency department visits, fewer asthma-related impacts for children and
mothers, increased educational attainment, and reduced family homelessness. The same analysis
also estimated per-family benefits including $3,221 from reduced child maltreatment recurrence and
$3,122 from reduced family homelessness.ii
This is why sustained federal investment in MIECHV matters. Home visiting is not just another
service; it is early infrastructure for healthy families. MIECHV also strengthens the workforce and
community-based systems that families rely on. Home visitors build trusted relationships with parents,
meet families where they are, identify needs early, and connect families to health care, early
intervention, behavioral health supports, housing resources, and other community services before
challenges escalate.
No single program can solve every challenge a family faces, but home visiting is one of the most
effective tools we have to support parents and children early. We respectfully ask Congress to
sustain and reauthorize MIECHV so that more children can grow up in safe, healthy, and thriving
families and communities.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Valenzuela, MSW, MPH
Executive Director
i Children’s Trust of Massachusetts, Healthy Families Massachusetts Cost-Benefit Analysis, April 2024.
ii Children’s Trust of Massachusetts, Healthy Families Massachusetts Cost-Benefit Analysis, April 2024.