Children from low-income families are more likely than those from higher-income families to have poor social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and health outcomes. One approach that has helped parents and their young children is home visiting, which provides information, resources, and support to expectant parents and families with young children.

The primary research questions of the brief include the following:

  • What are the effects of home visiting programs for families as children get older?
  • How do the monetary benefits of home visiting compare with their costs?

Key findings include the following:

  • Evidence-based home visiting has improved outcomes for parents and children across a wide range of child ages, outcome areas, and national models.
  • Evidence-based home visiting appears to be cost-effective in the long term.
  • The largest benefits from evidence-based home visiting come through reduced spending on government programs and increased individual earnings.

Read the full research article about home-visitation programs from MDRC