National Home Visiting Week 2026
April 20 – 24 was the second annual National Home Visiting Week, and what a difference a year made. In 2025, there were 59 nominations for the five Home Visitor of the Year awards. This year there were nearly 200. Last year, it took the entire week for 49 of the 50 states to post on social media. This year, 48 states were active on social media on day one. The tremendous growth in just one year is exciting and kept people busy across the Parents as Teachers network and beyond.
It was a busy but rewarding National Home Visiting Week for the National Center and for Benjamin Hazelton, National Director of Government and Community Engagement. Benjamin started his week traveling to Madison, Wisconsin to attend the April 21 celebration for Mario Drain, who was selected as a National Home Visitor of the Year. Mario was accompanied by his family and leadership from his organization, the City of Milwaukee. The Wisconsin home visiting leadership did an outstanding job facilitating an inclusive and celebratory event that included an address from Tom Engels, Administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration, and a virtual address from Constance Gully, President and CEO of Parents as Teachers National Center.
From Madison, Benjamin headed to Idaho Falls, Idaho to present Wendy Welch with her National Home Visitor of the Year award on April 22. Wendy was also accompanied by her family and leadership of her organization, the Eastern Idaho Health District, who did an incredible job with the event. Attendees included the Chair of the Board of Health Blair Dance, County Commissioners from Fremont and Madison Counties, and State Representative Erin Bingham. Parent educators and their supervisors traveled from all over Idaho (some up to three hours each way) to celebrate Wendy, and they were joined by families with whom Wendy partners.
Find more information about Mario and Wendy HERE.
After Wendy’s event in Idaho Falls, Benjamin traveled to Washington, DC, to join Constance in supporting Romana Boyd, a parent educator with the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma’s Tribal MIECHV program called Keskwinikiipe, meaning “grow together”. Ramona was one of four home visitors and two family participants who provided testimony at a Congressional briefing on home visiting and the impact of MIECHV reauthorization. In the briefing Ramon shared her personal journey with Parents as Teachers, sharing that this is the only job that would cause her to even think about coming out of retirement. As an affiliate receiving funds allocated through the doubling of the Tribal MIECHV through reauthorization, they are still building their caseloads but can already see the positive impact for the young parents with whom Ramona partners.
These are just a few highlights from National Home Visiting Week 2026. We know there were countless other celebrations across the network, and we would love to hear all about them to better inform our thinking for 2027. Share your stories of celebration, proclamations, social media success, and more with Ann Young to help us imagine an even greater National Home Visiting Week 2027!
