U4G45639
Project Grant
Overview
Grant Description
American Rescue Plan Act Funding for Home Visiting - Innovation - Project Title: Building Equitable Career Pathways for Home Visiting
Applicant Organization Name: Iowa Department of Public Health
Address: 321 E 12th Street, Des Moines, IA. 50319
Project Director Name: Janet Nickell Horras
Contact Phone Number: 515-954-0647
Email Address: janet.horras@idph.iowa.gov
Website Address: https://idph.iowa.gov/family-health/family-support
Grant Program Funds Requested: $4,000,000
Funding Priority Area: Track One, Priority Areas 4 and 3
Annotation: This application is a collaborative project between the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Virginia Department of Health to meet the home visiting workforce needs of the two states. The innovation that is being proposed is to develop an interactive learning experience application (app) that is competency-based to provide career pathways for home visitors as a recruitment and retention strategy for the field. This interactive learning experience will be developed as a cloud-based solution, accessed via a software application (app) developed specifically for this project. The project will assist in growing the home visiting workforce with persons that reflect the cultural and linguistic needs of the families served and improve equity among home visiting participants, populations, and systems.
Problem: The home visiting workforce has experienced issues in retention of staff, which are exacerbated due to COVID-19. Additionally, research indicates that the current home visiting workforce is not reflective of the families served. Home visitors without lived expertise, including parenting, have a steep climb to build working relationships with home visiting participants. Home visitors who more closely reflect the lived experiences, understand the culture, and speak the language of the parents being served have an easier time engaging in a meaningful relationship partnership with parents.
Purpose: This project will address issues in recruitment and retention of home visitors while implementing approaches that build a more equitable and representative workforce. The project will utilize technology to assess relational competence of parents and map their readiness to enter the home visiting workforce. The project will also ensure that home visiting supervisors are prepared to assist the new home visitor to be fully successful and retained.
Goals and Objectives: The project has seven major goals:
1) Implement a framework to measure relational competencies.
2) Create a career pathway for non-traditional home visitors.
3) Create preservice professional development.
4) Increase equity and access to professional development content.
5) Enhance organizational readiness.
6) Decrease home visitor isolation resulting in increased retention.
7) Increase the available data and research on the home visiting workforce.
Methodology: The proposed innovation will improve equity within professional development and strengthen recruitment and retention of a representative home visiting workforce with superb relational skills through accessible, relevant, and relational online learning. Furthermore, this project will enhance organizational readiness by providing additional supports for supervisors that lead to improved retention and decreased isolation of home visitors.
Applicant Organization Name: Iowa Department of Public Health
Address: 321 E 12th Street, Des Moines, IA. 50319
Project Director Name: Janet Nickell Horras
Contact Phone Number: 515-954-0647
Email Address: janet.horras@idph.iowa.gov
Website Address: https://idph.iowa.gov/family-health/family-support
Grant Program Funds Requested: $4,000,000
Funding Priority Area: Track One, Priority Areas 4 and 3
Annotation: This application is a collaborative project between the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Virginia Department of Health to meet the home visiting workforce needs of the two states. The innovation that is being proposed is to develop an interactive learning experience application (app) that is competency-based to provide career pathways for home visitors as a recruitment and retention strategy for the field. This interactive learning experience will be developed as a cloud-based solution, accessed via a software application (app) developed specifically for this project. The project will assist in growing the home visiting workforce with persons that reflect the cultural and linguistic needs of the families served and improve equity among home visiting participants, populations, and systems.
Problem: The home visiting workforce has experienced issues in retention of staff, which are exacerbated due to COVID-19. Additionally, research indicates that the current home visiting workforce is not reflective of the families served. Home visitors without lived expertise, including parenting, have a steep climb to build working relationships with home visiting participants. Home visitors who more closely reflect the lived experiences, understand the culture, and speak the language of the parents being served have an easier time engaging in a meaningful relationship partnership with parents.
Purpose: This project will address issues in recruitment and retention of home visitors while implementing approaches that build a more equitable and representative workforce. The project will utilize technology to assess relational competence of parents and map their readiness to enter the home visiting workforce. The project will also ensure that home visiting supervisors are prepared to assist the new home visitor to be fully successful and retained.
Goals and Objectives: The project has seven major goals:
1) Implement a framework to measure relational competencies.
2) Create a career pathway for non-traditional home visitors.
3) Create preservice professional development.
4) Increase equity and access to professional development content.
5) Enhance organizational readiness.
6) Decrease home visitor isolation resulting in increased retention.
7) Increase the available data and research on the home visiting workforce.
Methodology: The proposed innovation will improve equity within professional development and strengthen recruitment and retention of a representative home visiting workforce with superb relational skills through accessible, relevant, and relational online learning. Furthermore, this project will enhance organizational readiness by providing additional supports for supervisors that lead to improved retention and decreased isolation of home visitors.
Awardee
Funding Goals
NOT APPLICABLE
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding Agency
Funding Agency
Place of Performance
Iowa
United States
Geographic Scope
State-Wide
Related Opportunity
Analysis Notes
COVID-19 $4,000,000 (100%) percent of this Project Grant was funded by COVID-19 emergency acts including the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Iowa Department Of Public Health was awarded
Equitable Career Pathways Home Visiting: American Rescue Plan Act Funding
Project Grant U4G45639
worth $4,000,000
from Maternal and Child Health Bureau in April 2022 with work to be completed primarily in Iowa United States.
The grant
has a duration of 2 years 5 months and
was awarded through assistance program 93.870 Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant.
The Project Grant was awarded through grant opportunity ARP Act Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Innovation Award – COVID-19 Related Data/Technology Innovations (Track Two).
Status
(Complete)
Last Modified 6/20/25
Period of Performance
4/1/22
Start Date
9/30/24
End Date
Funding Split
$4.0M
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$4.0M
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Transaction History
Modifications to U4G45639
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
U4G45639
SAI Number
U4G45639-1835026684
Award ID URI
SAI UNAVAILABLE
Awardee Classifications
Other
Awarding Office
75RJ00 HRSA Office of Federal Assistance Management
Funding Office
75RM00 HRSA MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH BUREAU
Awardee UEI
S47QLSY37VS1
Awardee CAGE
1XUE7
Performance District
IA-90
Senators
Charles Grassley
Joni Ernst
Joni Ernst
Budget Funding
| Federal Account | Budget Subfunction | Object Class | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs, Health Resources and Services Administration, Health and Human Services (075-0321) | Health care services | Grants, subsidies, and contributions (41.0) | $4,000,000 | 100% |
Modified: 6/20/25