The evidence-based home visiting program for at-risk children serves as a model for other federal programs for low-income families, Republican Leader on the Ways and Means Worker and Family Support Subcommittee Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) said in a Ways and Means Worker and Family Support Subcommittee hearing.

CLICK HERE to watch Rep. Walorski’s full remarks.

CLICK HERE to watch Rep. Walorski’s exchange with the witnesses.

Key Excerpts:

• “Today we are here to discuss the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program, known as MIECHV, which helps support state and local efforts to provide evidence-based, outcome-focused home visiting services to at-risk parents and children.”

• “MIECHV is a program that gets results. This program builds upon decades of research that proves home visits by a nurse, social worker, or other trained professional during pregnancy and in the first years of a child’s life help prevent child abuse and neglect, support positive parenting, improve maternal and child health, and promote child development and school readiness.”

• “What makes MIECHV unique is that funding is tied to evidence. Most federal programs operate in a black box. Less than $1 out of ever $100 the government spends is backed by even the most basic evidence that the money is being spent wisely. Unlike most federal social welfare programs, we know what outcomes taxpayers can expect from our investments in MIECHV. This program serves as a model for how other programs for low-income families should be funded.”

CLICK HERE to read Rep. Walorski’s full remarks as prepared for delivery.

Rep. Walorski’s full remarks as prepared for delivery appear below.

Thank you, Chairman Davis, for holding today’s hearing on Improving Family Outcomes through Home Visiting.

 

Today we are here to discuss the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program, known as MIECHV, which helps support state and local efforts to provide evidence-based, outcome-focused home visiting services to at-risk parents and children.

 

Last year alone, home visitors helped more than 2,000 Hoosier families.  I represent three of the nine counties in Indiana eligible for MIECHV services provided by either Nurse-Family Partnership or Healthy Families Indiana.

 

MIECHV is a program that gets results. This program builds upon decades of research that proves home visits by a nurse, social worker, or other trained professional during pregnancy and in the first years of a child’s life help prevent child abuse and neglect, support positive parenting, improve maternal and child health, and promote child development and school readiness.

 

Federal funding for home visiting was introduced in 2008, after Congress agreed to fund President George W. Bush’s proposal to test the approach and measure the outcomes. Ways and Means Republicans led the effort to fully reauthorize the MIECHV program in 2018 to continue these efforts, and the program is now up for reauthorization again this year.

 

What makes MIECHV unique is that funding is tied to evidence. Most federal programs operate in a black box. Less than $1 out of ever $100 the government spends is backed by even the most basic evidence that the money is being spent wisely. Unlike most federal social welfare programs, we know what outcomes taxpayers can expect from our investments in MIECHV. This program serves as a model for how other programs for low-income families should be funded.

 

For a home visiting model to earn taxpayer support, an evaluation must prove the program has demonstrated significant, positive outcomes such as preventing child abuse and neglect, improving maternal and child health, and improving economic independence.

 

I’ve witnessed these positive outcomes firsthand in my district.  Last year, I had a chance to visit the Family and Children’s Center in South Bend.  I also have had an opportunity visit Goodwill of Michiana’s Excel Center program, which has paired Nurse Family Partnership with education programs, and it has delivered results.

 

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a collective impact study from the Wilson Sheehan Labor for Economic Opportunities, or LEO Lab at Notre Dame, regarding Nurse Family Partnership and The Excel Center.

 

This study shows that by pairing the Nurse Family Partnership with additional educational and workforce training resources, we can make great strides to increase the economic independence of families.  Connecting families in need with compassionate human support is proven to uplift families and change lives.

 

As we turn to reauthorization, Republican priorities include providing a full 5-year reauthorization to give states and implementing organizations the certainty they need to conduct long-term planning.

 

We aim to raise awareness of MIECHV’s high-quality outcomes to promote this time-tested program. And, we must apply lessons learned during the pandemic, specifically from the success of remote visits that grew efficiency while preserving the positive outcomes we expect from this evidence-based model.

 

Few federal social programs have been evaluated to determine if they are working, and almost none have conditioned funding on evidence of effectiveness. When we spend limited taxpayer dollars to help those in need, we must ensure we’re investing in programs that deliver results.

 

I look forward to working with the Chairman on a bipartisan basis to reauthorize MIECHV so we can deliver for American families.

 

With that I yield back.