Thanks to a $221,179 grant from the Houston, Texas-based Episcopal Health Foundation (EHF), we will be able to expand our home visiting reach throughout the state of Texas.
The money will be used to launch and study a hybrid on-ground and virtual interactive videoconferencing approach to home visiting. It is the first of its kind in the nation. The funds will allow us to evaluate a blended on-ground and virtual approach to deliver one of the four components of our model – home visiting. The other three parts are group connections, screening, and resourcing.
Virtual home visit
The grant is part of EHF’s $3.5 million investment in Texas organizations that are implementing timely, research-based practices for early childhood brain development in children during pregnancy and the first three years of their lives.
Parents as Teachers will work through six affiliates in Central and East Texas that are currently implementing the on-ground PATNC model and will start embedding interactive videoconferencing home visits into their service delivery plan for families throughout the EHF service area.
Virtual home visiting makes it possible to maintain a high frequency of service to families who have tight schedules or who might be medically fragile, transient, or live in rural communities.