The Healthy Families America Program

Healthy Families America (HFA) is a nationwide family support home visiting initiative operating under the leadership of Prevent Child Abuse America in Chicago. Healthy Families programs and state-wide networks which  are established and managed by public and private agencies across the country with credentialing conducted by the Healthy Families America national office at Prevent Child Abuse America. These services function much the same as the Hawaii Healthy Start program. There are currently over 430 programs in some 35 states. Some of these have been well evaluated.

Healthy Families America has been determined to be an evidence-based initiative by the Health and Human Services Affordable Health Care Act program. Evaluations listed here include randomized control trials and quasi-experimental evaluations which reflect positive findings related to low incidence of child abuse and neglect, positive child development and family strengthening among families at risk.

HFA Program Evaluations

The Healthy Families America Research Department has posted a summary of HFA program evaluations. Some of their major studies include:

• Best Beginnings: A Randomized Trial of a Paraprofessional Home Visiting Program (PDF)
• Best Beginnings: A Randomized Trial of a Paraprofessional Home Visiting Program (Executive Summary) (PDF)
• Healthy Start Hawaii: Future of Children article which highlights findings from multiple HFA evaluations
• Healthy Families Arizona – Annual Evaluation Report 2011 (PDF)
• Healthy Families Arizona – Evaluation Report 2006 (PDF)
• Healthy Families Arizona – Longitudinal Evaluation 2nd Annual Report, 2006 (PDF)
• Healthy Families DC 2001-2003 Evaluation (PDF)
• Healthy Families DC: Starting Early Starting Smart. Final Report, April 2005 (PDF)
• Healthy Families Florida Five-year Evaluation (PDF)
• Healthy Families Jacksonville Final Evaluation Report
• Healthy Families Massachusetts Evaluation (PDF)
• Healthy Families Massachusetts Evaluation (Executive Summary) (PDF)
• Healthy Families Montgomery Year 8 Evaluation FY 2003-2004 (PDF)
• Healthy Families Virginia 2000-2004 Evaluation (PDF)
• Healthy Start Hawaii Evaluation on Robert Wood Johnson website
• Healthy Start Oregon
• Healthy Families Hampton
• Healthy Families New York (PDF)
• Healthy Families Pinellas County, Florida

Contacts

For further information, contact:

• Kathryn Harding, Director of Research, Prevent Child Abuse America kathryn.harding@hfa.org

• Kate Whitaker, Director of Training, Healthy Families America kate.whitaker@hfa.org 

• Cyd Wessel, Director Healthy Families America, cyd.wessel@hfa.org