The Department of Health and Welfare will receive nearly $5 million in federal funding to strengthen voluntary home visiting services for pregnant women and families with young children, adding to Idaho’s growing investment in services designed to support families and prevent crises.
The $4.97 million award comes through the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. The Health Resources and Services Administration announced more than $525 million in awards nationwide this week, the largest federal investment in the program’s history.
The new funding builds on prevention efforts that have become an increasing focus of Idaho’s child welfare system. In 2025, Gov. Brad Little and the Idaho Legislature invested $23.2 million in the state’s child welfare system, including new prevention-focused staff and services intended to help families address challenges so children don’t have to enter foster care.
Idaho is seeing indications that the prevention measures are working. As of October, Idaho ranks first among 52 jurisdictions in the federal Administration for Children and Families’ homes-to-children ratio, which compares the number of foster homes with the number of children in foster care. Idaho has 1.21 foster homes for every child in foster care.
“Idaho’s leaders have made a significant commitment to helping families earlier, before challenges become crises,” said DHW Deputy Director Monty Prow, who oversees Child, Youth, and Family Services. “We are grateful to Gov. Little and the Legislature for investing in prevention, and we’re grateful for federal partners who are helping us build on that work. These investments give Idaho more tools to strengthen families, support parents, and help children remain safely with their families whenever possible.”
The award supports home visiting, a voluntary service that connects expectant mothers and families with young children with trained professionals who provide individualized support in their homes. Depending on a family’s needs, home visitors can provide support related to healthy pregnancies, child development, parenting, school readiness, and connections to other community resources.
In fiscal year 2025, Idaho’s MIECHV-funded programs served 880 households and provided 8,847 home visits, including more than 8,100 visits conducted in person. MIECHV funding supported home visiting services in 39 of Idaho’s 44 counties.
The HRSA funding follows another recent federal investment in Idaho’s prevention work. In September, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) selected DHW to receive a $668,600 Title IV-E Prevention Accelerator Grant, one of 10 grants nationwide intended to help child welfare agencies build the infrastructure needed to implement and sustain evidence-based prevention services.
ACF said Idaho’s selection reflects the department’s commitment to strengthening prevention services and helping children and families receive support before challenges become crises.
The Prevention Accelerator Grant is part of ACF’s A Home for Every Child initiative, which focuses on strengthening families, preventing unnecessary entries into foster care, and building sustainable prevention systems.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.