New Mexico provides a coordinated continuum of high-quality, community-driven, culturally and linguistically appropriate home visiting services that promote maternal, infant, and early childhood health, safety, development, and strong parent-child relationships. Home Visiting helps families: gain knowledge regarding child development, connect with community support services, discover ways to support learning through play and interactions, receive emotional support through challenges associated with raising a child, and access support to get out of dangerous or unhealthy situations.

To connect with a free home visiting program in your area, please search here or call 1-800-691-9067.

To learn more about New Mexico’s Early Childhood Education and Care Department’s Home Visiting Program, please visit this page.

To find professional resources for home visiting programs, please visit UNM CDD’s ECLN Home Visiting Program page.

Types of Home Visiting

First Born

The First Born Program (FBP) is a unique home visiting program designed to meet the needs of first-time families. All services are free, voluntary and offered to all women pregnant for the first time and first-time families within the program service area regardless of economic or health status. Services may begin at any time during pregnancy or at the birth of the baby and may continue until the child is 36 months.

Nurse-Family Partnership

Nurse-Family Partnership is an evidence-based national model designed to serve first-time pregnant women, prior to 28 weeks of gestation, who are low-income (WIC eligible).  This model provides nurses who partner with families with the goal of improving prenatal health, healthy birth outcomes, providing support for children’s health and development, and early detection of developmental delay and health issues.  Nurses also explore life skills and support mothers in developing their educational and career goals. Home visitors connect families to other community support services when needed. Families graduate when their children turn 2 years of age.

Parents as Teachers

Parents as Teachers is an evidence-based national model designed to serve families and their children ages 0 -5.  Home visiting staff who specialize in early childhood support families to promote the optimal early development, learning, and health of their children. The goals are to increase parent knowledge of early child development, encourage bonding and attachment, and early detection of developmental delay and health issues.  Home visitors connect families to other community support services when needed. Monthly group connections are offered to help families network with other families in their community. Families typically graduate after two years of engagement in the program.

Tribal Home Visiting Programs (Tribal MIECHV)

Tribal MIECHV and other tribally-funded programs in New Mexico support our indigenous families by:

• Supporting the development of happy, healthy, and successful American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) children and families through a coordinated home visiting strategy that addresses critical maternal and child health, development, early learning, family support, and child abuse and neglect prevention needs
• Implementing high-quality, culturally-relevant, evidence-based home visiting programs in AIAN communities
• Expanding the evidence base around home visiting interventions with Native populations
• Supporting and strengthening cooperation and coordination and promoting linkages among various early childhood programs, resulting in coordinated, comprehensive early childhood systems

Early Head Start: Home-Based Program

Many children and parents receive Early Head Start services right in their own home! Home visitors come once a week and work with parents and their children. Together, the home visitor and parents watch and think about the child. They plan ways to help the child learn using parent-child interactions, daily routines, and household materials. A small group of children, parents, and their home visitors also get together on a monthly basis for group socializations. Income restrictions, prenatal to age 3.

Family and Child Education (F.A.C.E.)

The goals of the tribal FACE programs are: Support parents/primary caregivers in their role as their child’s first and most influential teacher; Increase family literacy; Strengthen family-school-community connections; Promote the early identification and services to children with special needs; Celebrate the unique cultural and linguistic diversity of each American Indian community served by the program; Promote lifelong learning.

Families First Program

This program assists clients in gaining access to medical, social and educational services that are necessary to foster positive pregnancy outcomes and promote healthy infants and children in New Mexico. Families First partners with programs including Women Infants & Children Program (WIC), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Text4Baby. Medicaid-eligible pregnant women and children 0–3 years.

Partners for a Healthy Baby

Partners for a Healthy Baby (PHB) is a research-based parenting curriculum developed by a multidisciplinary Florida State University (FSU) faculty team with expertise in obstetric medicine, early childhood development, psychology, infant mental health, social work, and early intervention. Using the latest research and clinical guidelines from their respective disciplines, the faculty team compiled evidence-based strategies for home visitors to use when addressing issues facing expectant and new families.  These evidence-based strategies are continually updated as the science and information changes. The Partners for a Health Baby curriculum addresses a wide range of topics associated with the goals of most home visiting programs including: improved prenatal health; healthy birth outcomes; bonding and attachment; positive parenting practices; enhanced child health and development; infant mental health; economic self-sufficiency; and family stability.  

“Light Touch” Home Visiting Programs

New Mexico offers some free “light touch” home visiting programs while your baby is very young to do some initial developmental screenings, connect you with important resources for you and your baby, and to help transition your family to a longer-term home visiting program. These programs include the UNM HATCH (NICU) program and DOH’s New Mexico Connects program.

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