Costs of Evidence-Based Early Childhood Home Visiting: Results from the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation
Date
2022
Journal Title
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Publisher
Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Abstract
PRIMARY RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. How are resources allocated at MIECHV-funded local home visiting programs?
2. How much does it cost to provide home visiting to the average family, and how do costs differ
across families, local programs, and evidence-based models?
KEY FINDINGS AND HIGHLIGHTS
• Local home visiting programs spent the largest share of their budgets on personnel. Personnel expenditures accounted for nearly 80 percent of local program expenditures, on average,
over one year. The percentage varied across local programs but was similar across the evidencebased models.
• Two-thirds of personnel costs were for home visitor compensation. This finding is not a result
of high home visitor compensation but reflects the fact that home visitors typically comprise more
than two-thirds of a program’s personnel. However, costs varied across local programs and evidence-based models. Home visitor compensation made up a relatively smaller share of personnel
costs for Early Head Start—Home-based option programs, whose staff provided a broad range
iv | COSTS OF EVIDENCE-BASED EARLY CHILDHOOD HOME VISITING: RESULTS
FROM THE MOTHER AND INFANT HOME VISITING PROGRAM EVALUATION
of services (not just home visiting) to families. Nurse-Family Partnership programs spent a higher
proportion of personnel costs on home visitor compensation, consistent with the program’s use
of registered nurses as home visitors.
• Local program costs for serving a family during its first year of home visiting varied considerably, with costs for half of the families between $1,304 and $5,788 per year. Costs are
linked to how many home visits a family received, the home visitor’s compensation, and how the
program allocated resources. Costs were similar for providing home visiting to younger and older
mothers, women who were and were not pregnant at the time of study entry, and women who
were and were not first-time mothers. There was considerable overlap across the models in the
costs to serve families at individual local programs, but average program costs for serving a
family were higher for Nurse-Family Partnership and Early Head Start—Home-based option
($5,351 and $4,808, respectively) and lower for Healthy Families America ($3,238) and Parents
as Teachers ($2,568).
Description
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Keywords
home visiting, prevention, child maltreatment, evaluation, program evaluation
Citation
Corso, P. S., Ingels, J. B., & Walcott, R. L. (2022). Costs of Evidence-Based Early Childhood Home Visiting: Results from the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Evaluation. OPRE Report 2022-01. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.