Wisconsin’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) has again drawn down federal funds to continue and expand voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services to women during pregnancy and to parents with young children up to age five. Wisconsin has been very successful in expanding the program with federal funding and state match. DCF is the lead agency, working closely with the Department of Health Services.
According to officials of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, the Home Visiting Program helps to ensure that young families have the option to participate in a program that promotes their children’s healthy growth and development. The home visiting program is part of a prenatal to five continuum, including Head Start and Early Start, child care funding, services to children with disabilities, and other programs.
Explained: End Juvenile Life Without Parole in Wisconsin
Wisconsin relies far too much on incarceration and blames children for system-wide failures. Instead of incarceration, a better investment for Wisconsin’s youth is in basic needs such as health, housing, and employment. Wisconsin should reimagine a community-based continuum of care grounded in youth voice, emerging adult research, and cross-system collaboration.
