Tester Secures More Than $4 Million for Maternal and Early Childhood Homevisiting Program

Funding will help give pregnant women and families resources and skills to raise their children

U.S. Senator Jon Tester today announced that the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) will receive $4,379,043 in Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Homevisiting grant funding to help provide pregnant women and families with resources and guidance for raising their children.

“Maternal, infant and early childhood homevisiting is a tried and true way to improve the health of mothers and their children, as well as ensure that kids coming into this world are on good footing,” said Tester. “As the COVID-19 pandemic is making it harder for many parents to provide their children with the support they need, this funding is coming at a critical time. With it, DPHHS can help make sure that no mother or child is lacking access to preventative health and prenatal practices, child development tools, and school readiness resources.”

The Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Homevisiting Grant Program helps pregnant women and families with children access critical resources though regular, planned home visits from health, social service, and child development professionals. Due to the coronavirus pandemic forcing families to stay home, many children have missed out on regular well-child visits that would give them access to necessities like vaccines and development check-ups. Home visits offer a possible solution to this issue, providing high-risk families with resources to access health care needs for their children.

As a former elementary school teacher and school board member, Tester has been on the front lines advocating for Montana families and their children. As a senior member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, he secured more than $10 billion in funding for Head Start programs nationwide in recent budget negotiations. He also recently demanded that the Trump Administration cease its efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act that would rip away health coverage from thousands of Montana families.