In December, the Child and Family Data Archive at the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) released data files from the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE) (ICPSR 37848) and Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation-Strong Start (MIHOPE-Strong Start) (ICPSR 37847). Both evaluations are being led by MDRC for the federal Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

On January 19, 1:30-3:30 pm ET, ICPSR, OPRE, and MDRC are hosting a free webinar about accessing and using the data.

MIHOPE was launched in 2011 to assess the effectiveness of early childhood home visiting funded by the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. MIHOPE is examining effects across a broad range of child and family outcomes, from child development to family economic well-being to positive parenting practices. MIHOPE includes over 4,000 families across 12 states and 88 sites implementing one of the four evidence-based home-visiting models: Early Head Start–Home-based option, Healthy Families America, Nurse-Family Partnership, and Parents as Teachers.

MIHOPE-Strong Start was launched in 2012 to evaluate the effectiveness of evidence-based home visiting (MIECHV- and non-MIECHV-funded) in improving birth outcomes and health outcomes during pregnancy and the year after birth. MIHOPE-Strong Start includes 2,900 families across 17 states and 67 sites implementing one of two home visiting models with some prior evidence of positive impacts on birth outcomes: Healthy Families America and Nurse-Family Partnership.

Both MIHOPE and MIHOPE-Strong Start collected extensive information to describe the families served, supports in place for home visitors, and the quantity and content of the services provided. The archived data are derived from a variety of sources, including surveys with families, home visiting staff, and local program managers; in-person assessments of children; and state Medicaid, child protective services, and vital records administrative data.