Enhancing Maternal and Child Health in Rhode Island by Connecting Families to Home Visiting Services

Download PDF

A nurse coming to visit a mother and child at their home.

In 2017, a number of high-profile child fatalities in Rhode Island signaled the need to improve early childhood interventions and child maltreatment prevention across the state. Rhode Island’s Department of Health (RIDOH) recognized the opportunity to engage more families facing adversity in First Connections, the state’s holistic short-term family home visiting program. Incidents of child maltreatment most commonly occur in families with children under five, directly aligning with the population that First Connections aimed to serve.

The Government Performance Lab (GPL) provided technical assistance to help Rhode Island’s Department of Health better connect Rhode Island families facing adversity with preventative home visiting services.

Read More


More Research & Insights