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Evaluating Home Visitation Programs

These resources offer examples of program evaluations and provide information on evaluating the effectiveness of home visitation programs, including State and local examples.

Cross-Site Evaluation Materials FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Presents numerous reports and related materials from the cross-site evaluation of 17 federally funded grantees implementing evidence-based home visiting programs in their communities. Home Visiting California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare Describes home visiting programs reviewed and rated for their effectiveness in strengthening families and promoting child well-being. Programs That Work: Home Visiting Promising Practices Network Links to proven and promising home visitation programs, including a program overview; implementation, evaluation, and funding information; sample sites; contact information; resources; and more.

Do Nurse Home-Visiting Programs Have Lasting Benefits for Mothers and Children? (PDF - 178 KB)
National Forum on Early Childhood Program Evaluation (2008)
Summarizes the results of a study on the effects of nurse home visitations on maternal and child functioning, finding that high-quality programs can have beneficial effects on families and improve children's achievement.

Early Childhood Home Visitation: A Review of Research (PDF - 3150 KB)
Grayson (Ed.)
Virginia Child Protection Newsletter, 72, 2004
Assesses findings from evaluations that examined the effectiveness of home visitation programs and identified promising practices.

Effects of Nurse Home Visiting on Maternal and Child Functioning: Age-9 Follow-up of a Randomized Trial
Olds, Kitzman, Hanks, Cole, Anson, & Sidora-Arcoleo
Pediatrics, 120(4), 2007
Concludes that a prenatal and infancy home visit program reduced women's rates of subsequent births, increased the stability of their relationships with partners, facilitated children's academic adjustment, and may have reduced childhood mortality from preventable causes.

First Reports Evaluating the Effectiveness of Strategies for Preventing Violence: Early Childhood Home Visitation: Findings From the Task Force on Community Preventive Services
Hahn, Bilukha, Crosby, Fullilove, & Liberman
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 52, 2003
Presents strong evidence for the effectiveness of early childhood home visitation in preventing child abuse and neglect; includes information that can help communities apply the recommended intervention locally.

Home Visitation in 2005: Outcomes for Children and Parents (PDF - 406 KB)
Gomby (2005)
Summarizes the literature on the effectiveness of home visiting by analyzing short- and long-term results in parenting skills, children's development, and children's health. Also addresses cost-benefit analyses and high-quality implementation of services.

Impacts of Early Childhood Programs (PDF - 2040 KB)
Isaacs (2008)
Summarizes existing evidence on five early childhood interventions, finding that most have had positive effects on children's emotional and behavioral outcomes.

Involvement in Early Head Start Home Visiting Services: Demographic Predictors and Relations to Child and Parent Outcomes (PDF - 637 KB)
Raikes, Green, Atwater, Kisker, Constantine, & Chazan-Cohen
Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21, 2006
Examines outcomes for families participating in a sample of 11 home visiting programs measured against the extent of involvement, quality of engagement, and focus on the child.

Lifecourse Interventions to Nurture Kids Successfully
Child Trends
Offers an online database of program evaluations across various domains of child well-being that target children from birth to early adulthood. Programs include early childhood education and home visiting.

A Profile of Healthy Start: Findings From Phase I of the Evaluation 2006
Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration (HHS) (2006)
Profiles Healthy Start grantees, how they implement programs, and the characteristics, activities, and results they achieve.

Randomized Trial of the Early Start Program of Home Visitation
Fergusson, Grant, Horwood, & Ridder
Pediatrics, 116(6), 2005
Evaluates the extent to which a home visitation program had beneficial consequences for child health, preschool education, service utilization, parenting, child abuse and neglect, and behavioral adjustment.

The Role of Home-Visiting Programs in Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
Howard & Brooks-Gunn
Future of Children, 19(2), 2009
Synthesizes evaluation results of nine home visiting programs, finding that the programs have their greatest benefits for low-income, first-time adolescent mothers. The article includes suggestions for how to make home visiting programs have their maximum impact.

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State and local examples

Birth and Beyond: Program Impact on CPS Reports (PDF - 211 KB)
Sacramento County (California) Department of Human Assistance & Family Support Collaborative (2004)
Includes highlights from the Birth and Beyond home visiting program's annual report, which indicated marked progress in reducing the likelihood that families who participate in the program will be reported to CPS for child abuse or neglect.

Effects of Healthy Families New York on Maternal Behaviors: Observational Assessments of Positive and Negative Parenting (PDF - 209 KB)
New York State Office of Children and Family Services Bureau of Evaluation and Research & University at Albany, State University of New York (2008)
Examines the effectiveness of Healthy Families New York in promoting parenting competencies and preventing maladaptive parenting behaviors. The program increased the use of positive parenting skills and reduced the use of harsh parenting methods.

An Evaluation of the Cuyahoga County Home Visitation Programs for New Parents
Daro, Howard, Tobin, & Harden (2006)
Presents a comprehensive evaluation of Welcome Home, a one-time home visit at birth for first-time and teen mothers, and Early Start, an extended home visitation program for new parents who need ongoing assistance.

Home Visitation Assessment Project (PDF - 1550 KB)
Consilience Group (2005)
Provides descriptions of six home visitation programs in Memphis/Shelby County, Tennessee, and includes information on program fidelity, evaluation data and results, sources of funding, and a comparison of program components.

The Parent-Child Home Program in Massachusetts (PDF - 150 KB)
Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (2006)
Highlights the activities and accomplishments of the Massachusetts Parent-Child Home Program, including research results on its effectiveness.

Summary Report: Home Visiting Improvement Project, 2001-2006 (PDF - 3420 KB)
Institute for Human and Social Development (2006)
Presents accomplishments and lessons learned from a home visiting program in San Mateo County, California, including information on best practices and guidelines for home visiting.

Teaching Self-Sufficiency: An Impact and Benefit-Cost Analysis of a Home Visitation and Life Skills Education Program: Findings from the Rural Welfare-to-Work Strategies Demonstration Evaluation: Final Report (PDF - 2270 KB)
Meckstroth, Burwick, & Moore (2008)
Presents findings on the effectiveness of the Building Nebraska Families program in increasing employment and earnings and reducing poverty among a subgroup of very hard-to-employ Temporary Assistance for Needy Families clients in rural Nebraska who faced substantial obstacles and skill deficiencies.

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Updated on February 2, 2010