Vistula Park Pre-school DBA Lagrange Healthy Families

Healthy Families America (HFA) is an evidence- based, nationally recognized home visiting program model designed to work with overburdened families who are at-risk for child abuse and neglect and other adverse childhood experiences. It is the primary home visiting model designed to work with families who may have histories of trauma, intimate partner violence, mental health and/or substance abuse issues. HFA services are offered voluntarily, intensively and over the long-term (3 to 5 years after the birth of the baby).The program was launched in 1992 by Prevent Child Abuse America (formerly known as the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse) in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities and was designed to promote positive parenting, enhance child health and development and prevent child abuse and neglect. The Freddie Mac Foundation has also been instrumental in supporting ongoing development of the program.

The HFA model is based upon 12 Critical Elements derived from more than 30 years of research to ensure programs are effective in working with families. These Critical Elements are operationalized through a series of best practice standards that provide a solid structure for quality yet offer programs the flexibility to design services specifically to meet the unique needs of families and communities.

HFA has a strong research base which includes randomized control trials and well designed quasi-experimental research. In 2006, HFA was named a “proven program” by the RAND Corporation based on research conducted on the Healthy Families New York programs. Additionally, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has rated HFA as Effective. To date, research and evaluation indicates impressive outcomes. Reviews of more than 15 evaluation studies of HFA programs in 12 states produced the following outcomes:

• Reduced child maltreatment;
• Increased utilization of prenatal care and decreased pre-term, low weight babies;
• Improved parent-child interaction and school readiness;
• Decreased dependency on welfare, or TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) and other social services;
• Increased access to primary care medical services; and
• Increased immunization rates.

For more information about research, see HFA's Research Publications and Research Spotlights

Our Vision: All children will receive the nurturing care essential to becoming compassionate and contributing members of their communities.

Our Mission: To prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation's children through intensive home visiting.

HFA Program Goals:

• To systematically reach out to parents to offer resources and support
• To cultivate the growth of nurturing, responsive, parent-child relationships
• To promote healthy childhood growth and development
• To build the foundations for strong family functioning