Third annual Investing in the Power of Families initiative brings total Challenge Grant investment to more than $2.8 million supporting affiliate-led solutions nationwide
ST. LOUIS, MO — Parents as Teachers National Center today announced the recipients of its 2026 Investing in the Power of Families Challenge Grants, awarding over $500,000 to Parents as Teachers affiliates implementing innovative, locally driven solutions that strengthen families, improve child outcomes, and build healthier communities.
Made possible by an investment from Enterprise Mobility’s ROAD Forward Initiative, the grant program is now in its third year and provides flexible funding for projects that are often difficult to support through traditional program funding. Since launching in 2024, the program has awarded 98 grants to affiliates in 30 states, totaling $2.835 million.
“Parents as Teachers affiliates know their communities best,” said Constance Gully, President and CEO of Parents as Teachers. “These Challenge Grants help local programs address their communities’ most pressing needs while testing innovative approaches that can strengthen services for families nationwide. By investing in local leadership and creative solutions, we’re helping affiliates build stronger systems of support that will benefit children and families for years to come.”
As family support organizations face rising operating costs, many affiliates are forced to prioritize personnel expenses over investments that strengthen long-term program quality and sustainability. The Investing in the Power of Families Challenge Grants help fill that gap by supporting projects that build workforce capacity, elevate parent leadership, improve community partnerships, and expand access to critical resources.
This year’s grants support affiliate-led initiatives in six priority areas:
- Combating Infant and Maternal Mortality and Morbidity
- Community Responsiveness
- Enrollment and Recruitment
- Family Leadership Development
- Program Quality Improvement
- Workforce Development
“These grants provide affiliates with the flexibility to invest in areas that traditional funding often doesn’t cover but that are essential to delivering high-quality services,” said Kerry Caverly, Senior Vice President and Chief Program Officer at Parents as Teachers. “Whether strengthening the home visiting workforce, improving maternal health, increasing father engagement, or developing parent leaders, these projects reflect the innovation and responsiveness that define the Parents as Teachers network.”
The 2026 grants will support a wide range of initiatives across the country.
2026 Challenge Grant Recipients:
Combating Infant/Maternal Mortality and Morbidity
- Arkansas Children’s Hospital (Arkansas)
- Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture (Hawaiʻi)
- Shiloh CUSD1 Partnership in Parenting (Illinois)
Community Responsiveness
- Spero Family Services (Illinois)
- Family Development Center’s Newborn Network (Colorado)
- Crittenton Centers Milestones (Illinois)
Enrollment and Recruitment
- North Range Behavioral Health (Colorado)
- Wayne County Health Department Family Enrichment Program (Illinois)
Family Leadership Development
- Aprendamos Family of Services (New Mexico)
- Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative (New Jersey)
- Howe Community Resource Center (Wisconsin)
Program Quality Improvement
- Maui Family Support Services (Hawaiʻi)
- USD 204 Bonner Springs Edwardsville (Kansas)
- USD 231 Gardner Edgerton (Kansas)
- Derby Parents as Teachers (Kansas)
Workforce Development
- The Up Center (Virginia)
- Easterseals Midwest (Missouri)
- Vermillion USD 380 (Kansas)
Learn more about the grantees and their projects here.
About Parents as Teachers
Parents as Teachers builds strong communities, thriving families and children who are healthy, safe, and learning. We match parents and caregivers with trained professionals who make regular personal home visits during a child’s earliest years in life, from pregnancy through kindergarten. The internationally recognized evidence-based home visiting model is backed by over 40 years of research-proven outcomes for children and families. Parents as Teachers currently serves over 189,000 families annually in all 50 U.S. states, 127 Tribal organizations, and six other countries. Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc. is located in St. Louis, MO.