SOUTH CAROLINA OFFICIAL TESTIFIES BEFORE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ABOUT SUCCESS OF VOLUNTARY HOME VISITING
WASHINGTON, D.C.—March 15, 2017— The manager of voluntary home visiting in South Carolina testified today about the program’s achievements before the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee.
Eric Bellamy is with Children’s Trust of South Carolina, which is the nonprofit designated by the governor to oversees the program in the state when it started. South Carolina is a founding member of the Association of State and Tribal Home Visiting Initiatives, a nonprofit, nonpartisan collaboration of state administrators of home visiting programs.
The congressional subcommittee called the hearing to discuss reauthorization of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program; MIECHV is one source of funding for home visiting in South Carolina and other states. Congress needs to reauthorize it by the end of September or it will begin to sunset.
In his testimony, Bellamy said, “Families receiving home visiting services are documented to show significant improvements across a number of key measures including birth outcomes, child development screenings and referrals, prevention of abuse and neglect, and school readiness.
The MIECHV program continues to make important progress in improving the health and economic well-being of South Carolina’s most vulnerable families and the early childhood workforce. MIECHV is evidence-based policy that works; to empower families, to coordinate services and unify systems.”
South Carolina, and other members of ASTHVI, seek to share information about the impact of home visiting programs in the states and local communities with policymakers, the press and the public. It also facilitates national exchange of innovative practices.
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Bellamy is on the bottom row, second from the right. His testimony may be viewed at this link: https://waysandmeans.house.gov/live/