HEALTH, NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF

What this award covers

MATERNAL, INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD HOMEVISITING GRANT PROGRAM - PURPOSE THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (NJDOH), IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES (NJDCF), IMPLEMENTS THE MATERNAL, INFANT, AND EARLY CHILDHOOD HOME VISITING (MIECHV) PROGRAM WITH THE OVERALL AIM OF IMPROVING MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH OUTCOMES AND STRENGTHENING FAMILY WELL-BEING BY SUPPORTING PREGNANT INDIVIDUALS, CAREGIVERS, AND FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN ACROSS NEW JERSEY (NJ) THROUGH VOLUNTARY, EVIDENCE-BASED HOME VISITING (EBHV) SERVICES. SERVICES ARE DELIVERED THROUGH HEALTHY FAMILIES AMERICA, NURSE-FAMILY PARTNERSHIP, AND PARENTS AS TEACHERS, WHICH ARE PROVEN TO PROMOTE EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVE FAMILY OUTCOMES. NJ MIECHV SERVES COMMUNITIES IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE 2020 NEW JERSEY STATEWIDE NEEDS ASSESSMENT AS HAVING ELEVATED NEED, INCLUDING DISPARITIES IN BIRTH OUTCOMES, ACCESS TO CARE, AND FAMILY STABILITY. MATCHING FUNDS WILL BE USED TO SUPPORT WORKFORCE STABILIZATION AND SUSTAIN SERVICE DELIVERY ACROSS THE STATEWIDE HOME VISITING NETWORK. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES THE PRIMARY GOALS OF NJ MIECHV ARE TO: (1) MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY HOME VISITING SERVICES FOR FAMILIES IN AT-RISK COMMUNITIES; (2) IMPROVE PROGRAM PERFORMANCE AND FAMILY OUTCOMES THROUGH DATA-INFORMED PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (CQI); AND (3) STRENGTHEN THE HOME VISITING WORKFORCE AND COORDINATION ACROSS THE STATEWIDE MATERNAL AND EARLY CHILDHOOD SYSTEM. KEY OBJECTIVES INCLUDE INCREASING ENROLLMENT OF ELIGIBLE FAMILIES IN TARGETED COMMUNITIES, STRENGTHENING CQI PROCESSES ACROSS LOCAL IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES (LIAS) TO MONITOR SERVICE DELIVERY AND IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT, AND REGULARLY REVIEWING PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND BENCHMARK INDICATORS TO ASSESS PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS. ADDITIONAL OBJECTIVES FOCUS ON SUPPORTING WORKFORCE CAPACITY AND PROMOTING COLLABORATION AMONG STATE, LOCAL, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO IMPROVE SERVICE DELIVERY AND OUTCOMES FOR FAMILIES. APPROACH NJ MIECHV WILL MAINTAIN A PROPOSED CASELOAD OF 2,099 FAMILY SLOTS ANNUALLY DURING THE FY 2026–2028 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE. SERVICES WILL BE DELIVERED THROUGH 11 LIAS PROVIDING EBHV SERVICES. NJ MIECHV DOES NOT PROPOSE TO ADD NEW COMMUNITIES IN YEAR ONE AND WILL FOCUS ON STABILIZING RECENTLY EXPANDED LIAS, WITH POTENTIAL FUTURE EXPANSION CONSIDERED BASED ON SYSTEM CAPACITY AND WORKFORCE READINESS. TO ACHIEVE PROGRAM GOALS, NJ MIECHV WILL UTILIZE COORDINATED INTAKE AND REFERRAL PATHWAYS THROUGH THE CONNECTING NEW JERSEY (CNJ) SYSTEM TO MONITOR REFERRAL PATTERNS, ENROLLMENT, AND SERVICE ACCESS. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE ONGOING PERFORMANCE MONITORING, QUARTERLY REVIEW OF MIECHV PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND BENCHMARK INDICATORS, CONVENING COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARDS AND PARTNER MEETINGS, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF DATA-DRIVEN CQI PROCESSES ACROSS LIAS. TARGETED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WILL BE PROVIDED TO LIAS BASED ON CQI FINDINGS TO STRENGTHEN ENROLLMENT, RETENTION, AND LEVEL OF SERVICE. NJ WILL FACILITATE COLLABORATIVE MEETINGS WITH KEY STATE PARTNERS, INCLUDING LIA MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS, FOR INFORMATION SHARING. MATCHING FUNDS PROVIDED THROUGH NJDCF WILL SUPPORT THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE HOME VISITING WORKFORCE AND PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE. NON-FEDERAL MATCH FUNDS WILL BE PROVIDED THROUGH NJDCF TO SUPPORT SERVICE DELIVERY ACROSS LIAS, INCLUDING 144 FAMILY SLOTS FOR PARENTS AS TEACHERS PROGRAMS SERVING GLOUCESTER, SALEM, AND MONMOUTH COUNTIES.