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Program Glossary: MIECHV, LIA, FSS & Key Terms

Plain-language definitions for the acronyms and terminology you will encounter in HubSpot and in day-to-day program work.

Overview

The Delaware Home Visiting Program uses a lot of acronyms and specialized terminology. This glossary defines the terms you will encounter most often. Entries are listed alphabetically.

Glossary

Delaware Family Support Hub
The custom application built by Tapp Network for the Delaware Home Visiting Program. The knowledge base you are reading right now is part of the Delaware Family Support Hub. When you hear staff refer to the Hub, they are referring to this platform at defamilysupporthub.org.

DHSS (Delaware Department of Health and Social Services)
The state agency that oversees the Delaware Home Visiting Program at the highest level. DPH (the Division of Public Health) sits within DHSS. When you see DHSS in grant documents or official communications, it refers to the broader department.

DPH (Division of Public Health)
The division within DHSS that directly administers the Home Visiting Program. DPH holds the MIECHV grant, oversees the LIA contracts, and is responsible for statewide program compliance and reporting. You work for DPH.

EHS (Early Head Start)
One of the four evidence-based home visiting models used in Delaware. Early Head Start is a federally funded program designed for low-income pregnant women and families with children from birth to age three. It focuses on school readiness, healthy development, and comprehensive family support services.

FSS (Family Support Specialist)
The front-line home visitor role used in many of Delaware's home visiting models. Family Support Specialists are employed by Local Implementing Agencies and are the staff members who actually visit families in their homes. You will see this title frequently in HubSpot contact records.

HFD (Healthy Families Delaware)
One of the four home visiting models used in Delaware. Healthy Families Delaware is designed to serve families at risk, beginning prenatally or at birth. It focuses on building positive parent-child relationships, promoting family stability, and supporting early childhood development. HFD is the Delaware-specific implementation of the national Healthy Families America model.

IECMHC (Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation)
A service model that provides mental health consultation to home visiting staff, childcare providers, and families to support the social-emotional development of young children. You may hear this term in the context of training or LIA capacity building.

LIA (Local Implementing Agency)
A community-based organization or agency that contracts with DPH to deliver home visiting services in a specific geographic area of Delaware. LIAs hire and supervise the Family Support Specialists who visit families. In HubSpot, LIAs are represented as Company records. Delaware's MIECHV-funded program works with LIAs across 9 geographic zones.

MIECHV (Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting)
The federal grant program that funds a significant portion of Delaware's home visiting services. MIECHV is administered at the federal level by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). States receive MIECHV funds and are responsible for distributing them to local agencies and meeting federal reporting and outcome requirements. Pronounced "MEE-chiv" by most program staff.

MIECHV Zone
A defined geographic area of Delaware designated for MIECHV-funded home visiting services. Delaware has 9 MIECHV zones. Each zone is served by one or more LIAs. The zone structure helps ensure that home visiting services reach communities with the greatest need across the state.

NFP (Nurse-Family Partnership)
One of the four home visiting models used in Delaware. Nurse-Family Partnership pairs registered nurses with first-time, low-income mothers, beginning early in pregnancy and continuing until the child's second birthday. NFP has one of the strongest evidence bases of any home visiting model, with documented impacts on maternal health, infant outcomes, and family economic self-sufficiency.

PAT (Parents as Teachers)
One of the four home visiting models used in Delaware. Parents as Teachers is a family-centered model that emphasizes parenting knowledge, child development education, and connection to community resources. PAT uses a combination of home visits and group connections to support families during the prenatal period and early childhood years.

Reflective Supervision
A professional practice model used in home visiting and early childhood programs to support the well-being and effectiveness of front-line workers. In reflective supervision, supervisors and staff engage in regular structured conversations that examine the emotional and relational dimensions of working with vulnerable families.