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Healthy Families America (HFA) Summary

Healthy Families America (HFA) is a nationally recognized home visiting program designed to support families during pregnancy and throughout the early years of a child’s life. The program focuses on strengthening families, promoting healthy child development, improving parent-child relationships, and helping parents build the skills and confidence they need to provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children.

HFA services are voluntary, family-centered, and strengths-based. Trained home visitors work with families in their homes or other locations that are comfortable for the family. Services are tailored to each family’s individual needs and may include education about child development, positive parenting strategies, maternal and child health, safety, nutrition, and connecting families with community resources.

A major goal of HFA is early identification and prevention. Home visitors help families recognize their strengths and identify concerns that may affect a child’s development or family well-being. Families can be connected to resources such as health care, mental health services, early intervention, child care, housing assistance, and other community supports when needed.

HFA also emphasizes building strong relationships between parents and children. Home visitors provide families with practical strategies that encourage positive interactions, support healthy attachment, and promote children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development.

Overall, Healthy Families America helps families build a strong foundation for healthy children and healthy relationships by providing ongoing support, education, encouragement, and connections to community resources. The program recognizes that parents are the experts on their children and works alongside families to help them achieve their own goals.

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Early Intervention in Ohio

Ohio Early Intervention (EI) is a statewide program that supports infants and toddlers from birth through age 3 who have developmental delays or disabilities, as well as their families. The program is designed to help children learn and develop while supporting parents and caregivers in their important role.

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Ohio EI uses a family-centered, routines-based approach. Services are provided in the child’s natural environment, such as the family’s home or childcare setting, and are based on the family’s priorities and the child’s individual needs. An Early Intervention Service Coordinator (EISC) helps families understand the process, coordinate services, connect with community resources, and develop and monitor the child’s Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

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The EI team may include professionals such as developmental specialists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, and other specialists. The team works together with the family to identify the child’s strengths, address developmental concerns, and develop strategies that can be incorporated into everyday family routines.

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A key goal of Ohio Early Intervention is to support families rather than simply provide services to the child. Families are given information, resources, and strategies they can use throughout their daily activities to promote their child’s development.

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Overall, Ohio Early Intervention helps children get the support they need early in life while empowering families to build skills, access resources, and support their child’s development and participation in everyday routines.