The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

The families of 40 young children in Wahkiakum County will now get the support they need to give their children a great start in life thanks to a recent award from the state’s Home Visiting Services Account (HVSA).

Ten home visiting programs across the state will share $1,453,000 in grants over the next year. For St. James Family Center, The Parents as Teachers program will receive $71,335 to provide services to local families.

“Over the past five years, our program has made a difference in the lives of more than 200 families,” said Beth Hansen, executive director of St. James Family Center. “For many of the families we serve, we are their primary support system, and this grant means we don’t have to cut our services. We know other programs aren’t so lucky right now and are either serving fewer families or closing their program altogether.”

Home visiting is a voluntary service in which nurses or other trained professionals meet with at-risk families in their homes and offer information and support related to healthy child and family development. Depending on the program, these visits can happen during pregnancy up to a child’s fifth birthday. Evidence shows that when families receive this kind of support, their children are born healthier, are less likely to suffer from abuse or neglect and are better prepared for school. In fact, the entire family benefits.

Since it was created by the Washington state Legislature in 2010, the HVSA has become a national model for leveraging public and private funds to support home visiting programs and has helped Washington invest 10 times more than it did in home visiting just two years ago.

As of July 1, the HVSA has awarded nearly $4 million in grants to 31 evidence-based, research-based and promising home visiting programs serving about 1,000 families in 13 Washington counties. HVSA grantees represent a range of programs that meet the needs of populations across the state, including diverse geographic, racial/ethnic and other demographic groups. While most of the account’s funds support direct services to families, some funds also are used for training, quality implementation and evaluation to ensure programs get the outcomes they promise to deliver for children and families.

“Home visiting is an important program for Washington children and families,” said Bette Hyde, director of the state Department of Early Learning. “Evidence shows that families who receive home-based support are less likely to suffer abuse and neglect. Home visiting offers a strong return on investment in the prevention of abuse and educating families in good care of their children.”

Making home visiting available to at-risk families is a key strategy in Washington’s 10-year Early Learning Plan. Right now, only a small percentage of eligible families are able to receive evidence-based home visiting services but this grant combined with increasing efforts by St. James Family Center will help keep the doors open and support continued efforts to serve families in the area.