- | Other
Health-related workforces face dramatic employee wellness, retention, and morale challenges. Simultaneously, as initiatives expand nationally to create reimbursement pathways for Community Health Worker/Promotores (“CHW/P”) and home visiting services, professionals’ voices must be centered so that decision-making remains focused on what the workforce needs to thrive. Authors introduce a regional systems change collaboration in California focusing: A) workforce support that reduces isolation, burnout, and stress by fostering belonging and community through professional development and leadership advancement opportunities; B) service integration that reduces friction between programs and providers for seamless referrals and service delivery experiences; C) emerging practices for creating culturally-relevant resources; and D) advocacy for increasing system sustainability.
- | Report
Early Head Start home-based programs provide services to eligible families with children from birth to age 3 and to pregnant women and their families. Home visitors deliver services primarily in families’ homes. Early Head Start programs recruit and train home visitors to provide high-quality services tailored to the unique needs of infants, toddlers, and pregnant women. This brief presents information about how home-based Early Head Start programs hire qualified and competent home-visiting staff and support these staff in their ongoing professional development. (author summary)
- | Report
This brief uses data from the nationally representative Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (Baby FACES) to describe and compare key characteristics of Early Head Start services, staff, and participating families in 2018 and 2022, highlighting changes in program delivery, workforce attributes, and family experiences over time.
- | Planning Tool
The Staff Recruitment and Retention Playbook is a practical guide to help home visiting programs strengthen hiring, onboarding, and long-term staff support. It offers clear strategies and measurement tools to improve staff satisfaction, wellness, and retention.
- | Report
The report summarizes insights from 99 Arkansas home visitors on why they stay in or leave the field, highlighting deep commitment to families and supportive colleagues as key retention drivers. Low pay, heavy administrative burden, and emotional stress are the primary factors pushing staff out. Participants recommend better compensation, streamlined data systems, and greater inclusion in decision-making to strengthen the workforce.
- | Other, Planning Tool
This accompanying Excel worksheet is designed to help supervisors and program leaders quantify the true cost of staff turnover within their home visiting programs. By guiding users through calculations related to recruitment, training, lost productivity, and missed visits, the tool translates workforce challenges into clear financial data that can strengthen the case for investing in staff well-being and retention.
- | Report
Research shows that home visitors transform families’ lives nationwide. The National Strategy provides a clear, long-term plan—including three key pillars and 15 actions—to position this vital workforce for even greater success, reach, and impact.
- | Brief
This research-to-practice brief is designed for local program leaders, supervisors, state and network leaders, and model developers who want to take meaningful action to protect and retain their staff. Drawing on a scan of existing literature and resources, as well as voices from the home visiting field, this brief presents concrete, actionable strategies across four domains — policies, practices, resources, and supports — that programs can implement to build a culture of safety.
- | Brief
Home visitors do essential work — but too often, that work goes unrecognized. Our latest research-to-practice brief makes the case for meaningful staff recognition and offers practical, low-cost strategies program leaders can use to help home visitors feel valued and supported. It highlights how small, intentional efforts can improve morale, retention, and overall program impact.
- | Brief
This research-to-practice brief is designed for local program leaders, supervisors, state and network leaders, and model developers looking to strengthen their workforce by investing in peer connection. Drawing on a scan of existing literature and voices from the home visiting field, this brief presents strategies across three areas — peer relationships in the workplace, peer support structures, and peer connections across the field — that programs can tailor to meet the needs of their staff.