What Works for Home Visiting Programs

Home visiting programs receive a significant amount of funding and national attention. Since the programs are not a single, uniform intervention, they are extremely variable across the United States. The report, produced in July by Child Trends, uses a literature review to synthesize the findings of 66 studies in order to identify home visiting programs that work well.

The report examines different home visiting program models and is critical of programs that are not proven to work or present mixed findings. Overall, 32 out of 66 evaluated programs were found to have a positive impact in at least one child outcome. The authors direct researchers to address the effectiveness of counseling during home visits, the cost of home visiting programs and other lines of investigation prompted by the studies. The report concludes that an effective home visiting program can differ depending on the targeted age group, the intensity of the service and the type of visitor making the home visit.

Read the report.