Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MECSH)
MECSH is an evidenced-based nurse home visiting program that helps families’ parent effectively despite the challenges and difficulties they face. Families are partnered with a nurse who will provide them with education on how to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Nurses will also help families set goals for themselves and provide them with resources to help achieve their goals. Families will learn positive parenting skills, ways to bond and play with their baby, and skills to access community resources.
Benefits of MECSH
- MECSH is designed to support parents’ transition to parenthood as they learn to adapt and self-manage despite day-to-day challenges.
- Improve parental and child health and well-being.
- Support and model positive parent-infant interaction.
- Promote positive parent-child relationships.
- Help parents establish and achieve goals for themselves and their children.
- Help parents foster relationships within their family and community.
Eligibility requirements of MECSH
- Individuals who are pregnant
- Up to 8 weeks from hospital discharge after baby was born
- Live in service area
Help for Low-Income Pregnant People and Children (age birth to five)
Head Start (for children 3-5) and Early Head Start (pregnant people and children 0-3) has a variety of program and service delivery options including Center Base, Home-Base, Combination (Home & Center) or Family Child Care. Each program incorporates an individualized approach to high-quality services for low-income pregnant people and children age birth to five. Families receive support and guidance from Head Start staff to become self-sufficient.
We understand how challenging it can be to be a parent. Early Head Start is a free parenting program that helps low-income parents and their children with home visits, education, and health screenings. Early Head Start can also help children who are in foster care, children experiencing homelessness, and children with a disability. We offer resources for pregnant people and help for new parents.
Benefits of Early Head Start:
- home visits
- child development education
- health screening and follow-up care
- parenting guidance and education
- services for special needs children
Eligibility requirements of Early Head Start:
- Children between the ages of 0-5 of families that meet the federal poverty guidelines and pregnant people who meet the federal poverty guidelines
- Children who are foster children
- Children who are homeless
- Children who are disabled (have IFSP or IEP)*
