November 14, 2022

EDC to Lead New MIECHV Innovation Technical Assistance Center

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has selected EDC to launch and lead the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Innovation Technical Assistance Center (ITAC).

For over 40 years, EDC has partnered with families, communities, home visiting and early childhood program leaders, and funders to improve maternal and child health. The new ITAC will spread and scale the successes of two of EDC’s current initiatives, both of which are funded by HRSA: the MIECHV Technical Assistance Resource Center and Home Visiting Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network 3.0 (HV CoIIN 3.0). 

In ITAC, EDC will collaborate with two subcontractors, James Bell Associates and Child Trends, to advance MIECHV Innovation awardees’ efforts to develop, implement, and evaluate strategies to improve service delivery and extend the impact of home visiting. The team’s support will have a special focus on leveraging the use of new technology and/or data collection to drive continuous improvement.

Technical assistance (TA) specialists and subject matter experts will provide the following intensive support: 

  • Regular 1:1 team-based TA for each awardee team 
  • An ongoing learning collaborative to foster peer learning and support 
  • Extensive tools, resources, and online learning events driven by awardee needs 
  • All-awardee meetings to highlight new research and best practices 

“EDC shares HRSA’s vision for ITAC, and we are eager to partner with innovation awardees to move the field forward in home visiting,” said EDC Director of Maternal and Child Health Mary Mackrain. “Together, TA specialists and awardees can draw on innovations to advance health equity and improve outcomes for thousands of families.”

“We appreciate HRSA’s investment in this important new national center,” added ITAC Director Allison LaMont. “There is a tremendous potential for ITAC to accelerate improvements in awardees’ vital work over the next several years.”

Learn more about EDC’s work in early childhood development and learning