FSS Onboarding Lesson 3: Home Visiting Program Models
Delaware's four evidence-based home visiting models: HFD, NFP, PAT, and EHS.
Healthy Families Delaware (HFD)
Healthy Families Delaware is the state's adaptation of the Healthy Families America (HFA) model, a nationally recognized program with a strong evidence base for preventing child abuse and neglect and improving parent-child relationships. HFD serves at-risk families beginning prenatally or at birth and continuing through the child's fifth birthday. Home visitors work with families long-term -- sometimes for several years -- beginning weekly and decreasing in frequency as families develop skills and stability.
Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP)
The Nurse-Family Partnership is one of the most rigorously evaluated home visiting models in the world. NFP serves low-income, first-time mothers, and enrollment must begin before the 28th week of pregnancy. Services continue through the child's second birthday. A key distinction: NFP visits are conducted by registered nurses, not paraprofessional FSS workers. NFP has demonstrated improvements in prenatal health behaviors, birth outcomes, infant health, and maternal economic self-sufficiency.
Parents as Teachers (PAT)
Parents as Teachers is a comprehensive parent education model that emphasizes child development knowledge and parent-child interaction. PAT serves families from birth through kindergarten entry and is designed to be accessible to a broad range of families. The PAT model includes four core components: personal visits, group connections, developmental screenings, and family support coordination. Personal visits are conducted by Certified Parent Educators (CPEs).
Early Head Start (EHS)
Early Head Start is a federally funded child development program for income-eligible families with children from birth through age three. In the home-based EHS model, FSS workers conduct weekly home visits of approximately 90 minutes, plus twice-monthly group socialization activities. EHS programs operate under federal Head Start Program Performance Standards and are subject to federal monitoring.
Learning Check
After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
- Identify the target population and visit structure for each of Delaware's four home visiting models
- Explain the key distinction between NFP and the other three models in terms of who delivers visits
- Describe how the four models complement one another in Delaware's program