Missouri Home Visiting Programs Restructured

In the 2025 legislative session, the Missouri General Assembly amended budget language to restructure the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE’s) Office of Childhood (OOC) Home Visiting section. Pending Governor Kehoe’s signature of House Bill 2 (2025) and House Bill 5 (2025), effective July 1, 2025, the following changes will occur:

• The following programs will transition from DESE to the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF):

• Missouri Parenting Partnership Program (MOPPP)

  This program offers statewide, voluntary home visiting services, focusing on the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Eligibility information may be found at the OOC Home Visiting website.

• Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV)

  This program offers home visiting services in select counties to ensure that children can grow up healthy, safe, and ready to learn. Eligibility information may be found at the OOC Home Visiting website.

• The following councils will have administrative duties transition from DESE to CTF while DESE remains an active collaborative partner:

  • Parent Advisory Council

    This council is a group of family leaders, located around the state, who bring issues facing families to a higher level. Regional contact and meeting information may be found at the Parent Advisory Council website.

  • Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Council

    This council is a group of early care and educational professionals located, around the state, who create an integrated maternal and early childhood system of care, promote early development health, and increase family-centered access to care in prenatal to three population. More information may be found at the OOC Outreach website.

The school-based Missouri Parents as Teachers Parent Education Program will remain at DESE. Services in this program will remain unchanged.

• This program offers universal services to all families prenatally through when the child reaches kindergarten.  Eligibility information may be found at the OOC Home Visiting website.

Title V Maternal Child Health (MCH)

Additional home visiting programs funded through the federal Title V MCH Services Block Grant, granted to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), will also be impacted by these changes. Due to shifting priorities in the DHSS new five-year MCH State Action Plan, the MCH funded Nurse Family Partnership and Healthy Families America home visiting programs will not be renewing beyond September 30, 2025. DESE will continue the administration of these programs and the funds to support these programs through the end of the current contract period, ending September 30, 2025.

• Maternal and Child Health Home Visiting
• Safe Cribs for Missouri Program
  • This program provides portable cribs and safe sleep education to low-income families who have no other resources for obtaining a crib.  On October 1, 2025, DHSS will resume responsibility for the Safe Cribs for Missouri Program. More information may be found at the Safe Cribs for Missouri website.

“Home visiting programs are a key tool used to prevent child abuse and neglect, which is the primary focus of CTF’s work,” said Commissioner of Education Dr. Karla Eslinger. “CTF is an important partner to the work of the OOC, and we look forward to assisting their team as these programs shift to their oversight.”

DESE and the OOC are committed to working diligently to support partner agencies, contracted service providers, and families to ensure that services will continue with minimal disruption during this time.

“Home visiting is one our state’s best strategies to improve the well-being of Missouri children and families,” said the Executive Director of Children’s Trust Fund Emily Van Schenkhof.  “CTF looks forward to continuing to build the best home visiting system in the nation with our partners at DESE.”

Home visiting services focus on positive parenting, child development, maternal and child health, access to community resources, and family economic self-sufficiency. Home visiting services take place in a setting that is natural and comfortable for the family — the home, an early childhood setting, a library, or a doctor’s office.

The MOPPP offers more intensive home visiting services for families that may need more support based on multiple risk factors. MCH and MIECHV programs are both federally funded home visiting programs, located in targeted counties based on a required needs assessment. These programs prioritize services to communities and families most at risk for poor maternal, infant, and child health outcomes.

The Missouri Parents as Teachers Parent Education Program provides parents with resources and guidance to support family wellbeing and foster learning environments in the home, enhancing children’s school readiness and academic performance, home life, and social and emotional development.

Families interested in taking part in home visiting programs may visit Missouri Family Resources to explore services available in their area.