Introduction
Home visiting programs in the United States seek to improve maternal and child health, child development, and family economic self-sufficiency by supporting families with young children. Home visiting is seen as an important strategy for reaching high-risk families who may be difficult to engage in other services. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 included $1.5 billion over five years for states to operate the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. The law also required a national evaluation of the program. This document describes the design of that evaluation — the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE) — which will include (1) an analysis of state needs assessments, (2) an implementation study of local program services, (3) an impact analysis of the effects of MIECHV on child and family outcomes, and (4) an economic analysis of program costs and cost effectiveness. MIHOPE was launched in 2011 by the Administration for Children and Families and the Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The evaluation is being conducted by MDRC in partnership with Mathematica Policy Research, James Bell Associates, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Georgia, and Columbia University.