The Early Years Home Visitation Outcomes Project of Wisconsin has released its 2009 Outcome Attainment Report and Executive Summary. The report contains analysis of 679 Wisconsin children under the age of 6, actively enrolled in one of seven pilot sites in the home visitation program. Pilot home visitation program sites exist in Brown, Dane, Door, Manitowoc, Sheboygan, and Waukesha counties.
The Outcomes Project selected the following five outcomes to be measured:
- Parents interact with their children in ways that enhance their child’s development and early learning.
- Children are health.
- Children live in a safe environment.
- Families access formal/informal support networks to meet their needs.
- Children achieve their optimal milestones in development and early learning.
Evidence supports the determination that home visitation programs in Wisconsin positively influences the families who enroll in these programs. Key findings include:
- 99 percent of infants and toddlers and 98 percent of the 3- to 6-year-olds are in a home where quality parent and child interactions take place.
- Of the 679 children enrolled in the Outcomes Project, 98 percent have access to medical care.
- Out of the 409 homes which received an environment safety check, 40 percent had safety concerns that were addressed.
- A total of 622 parents (93 percent) are aware of formal resources to help meet their needs.
- 83 percent of Outcomes Project children received developmental screenings in 2009.
The goal of the Early Years Home Visitation Outcomes Project of Wisconsin is to help improve the quality of home visitation services by developing a way to measure outcomes that are common across all of the programs, despite differences in model of operation
