Luis has been with the DECC EHS Program for six years.  He is a Family Service Worker with the First Start Delaware: Early Head Start Partnership, bringing over a decade of experience in the EHS field. He draws from his professional, educational, and lived experience to support and empower families. As a bilingual advocate,[…..]

By Asaiah Beaman Fisher (Home Visiting Training and Support Coordinator)  As Delaware’s home visiting workforce continues to grow and adapt, so does the need for timely, relevant, and energizing professional development. Prevent Child Abuse Delaware (PCAD) is proud to roll out an exciting slate of upcoming training opportunities to support home visitors and family support[…..]

By: Stephanie Wagner Congratulations to Ana Sanchez-Anderson, who recently won the 2025 Mildred Winter Founder’s Scholarship. The awardee of this scholarship receives funding to attend the Parents as Teachers National Conference, which is considered the premier conference for parent educators and early childhood education. Learn more about Mildred M. Winter and what makes this scholarship[…..]

By: Christine Hoeflich-Olley The Delaware Early Childhood Center (DECC) Home Visiting programs celebrated a successful year with Messy Night this past July. Over 125 people were in attendance to explore, create, and build relationships. A special shoutout to Theresa Mast, Lead Parent Educator, who spearheaded the planning of this event, and all the home visitors who[…..]

By: Asaiah Beaman Fisher (Home Visiting Training and Support Coordinator) Home visiting professionals wear many hats — and even the most seasoned providers benefit from support. That’s where technical assistance (TA) comes in. TA is a responsive, strengths-based approach to supporting Delaware’s home visiting workforce. It helps programs and professionals sharpen skills, navigate challenges, and[…..]

By: Emily A. Thompson Are you tabling at an event for home visiting and want to share some fun, useful items with families? We’ve got you covered! We have the following swag available for you upon request: Onesies Sizes: NB, 6M, 12M, 18M, 24M Colors: Light Purple/Dark Purple and Black/Gray Stainless Steel Cups Training Cups[…..]

New Directions Early Head Start is excited to share how we’re doing with our Male Involvement Connection efforts. We had a wonderful turnout at our recent event at the park! Dads joined their children under age 3 for a fun and energetic soccer activity, creating joyful bonding moments. We also enjoyed a family-style hot lunch[…..]

Tom is a home visitor with the New Directions Early Head Start Program within the University of Delaware. He has been a dedicated advocate for children under age 3, playing an instrumental role in promoting literacy and engaging families in our program. With his passion for early childhood development, he has been actively encouraging male[…..]

Christine Hoeflich-Olley, Program Manager for Home-Based Programs at the Delaware Early Childhood Center (DECC), has been accepted into a two-year certification program for IECHMHC through the Erikson Institute. This opportunity reflects her dedication to supporting the social-emotional well-being of our youngest children and their families. Through this training, she will deepen her understanding of infant[…..]

By: Noelle Bartkowski Katrina Johnson, one of our newest parent educators, has hit the ground running. She has invited her families to come to Stubbs and the Dual Generation Center to access the many resources and support services offered there. The photo above shows a mom at Stubbs for GED classes. Free childcare is offered,[…..]

By: Emily A. Thompson As a follow-up to the Home Visitor Safety Training held in May, led by the Institute for Childhood Preparedness (ICP), the Division of Public Health (DPH) was pleased to provide Home Visitor Safety Kits to Delaware’s home visiting workforce. Each kit was thoughtfully assembled to support the safety and preparedness of[…..]

By: Emily A. Thompson   The Home Visiting Community Advisory Board (HVCAB) gathered in person on Monday, July 7, 2025, for an engaging meeting featuring essential presentations and updates designed to support Delaware’s home visiting programs. Highlights included a presentation from the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) on their Out of Reach campaign, an[…..]

By: Emily A. Thompson We’re excited to introduce the newly created Delaware Home Visiting Journey Map! A helpful tool designed to support both the home visiting workforce and the families they serve. This visual guide offers a simplified, easy-to-follow explanation of what a family might experience when enrolled in one of Delaware’s evidence-based home visiting[…..]

By: Emily A. Thompson Mark your calendars! We’re thrilled to announce the 2025 Home Visiting Retreat — an inspiring day dedicated to celebrating the invaluable work of our home visiting workforce and exploring new ways to grow and improve together. Invitations and registration details will be shared first with our home visiting professionals, followed shortly[…..]

By: Emily A. Thompson We’re excited to share new updates to the DE Thrives website, with the goal of making information easier to access and more helpful for both families and providers. Updates to the Consumer Pages include: A clearer page layout that makes it easier to explore what home visiting is and how it[…..]

By Emily A. Thompson  The charge of MSHAC is to plan how to better serve individuals and families affected by a substance use disorder through a multiagency approach. Meeting agenda topics have included sharing resources and educational materials, providing updates from local treatment providers, coordinating services and referrals, offering guidance on using the DFS reporting[…..]

By Melissa Pitts, Tapp Network The Delaware Family Support Hub continues to grow, with new tools and features being added regularly to support the Home Visiting Program and Family Support Specialists. The Delaware Family Support Hub mobile app is now available in the Apple App Store for iPhones and iPads and Google Play Store for Android[…..]

By Emily A. Thompson We’re pleased to share an important resource available to your postpartum patients and clients enrolled in Delaware Medicaid. Delaware’s Postpartum Nutrition Program offers healthy, fully prepared meals delivered to a new mother’s home for up to 12 weeks after birth, at no cost to eligible members. This service helps support healing, nourishment, and[…..]

By Jen Ettinger Elise Harry brings over a decade of experience in case management and advocacy to her role at Quality Insights. She previously served as a victim advocate and an HIV medical case manager, supporting individuals and families through complex health and social challenges. Elise is passionate about building relationships and driving meaningful improvements[…..]

By Asaiah Fisher In each issue of the Thrive Quarterly Newsletter, we’ll highlight one of the 10 domains from the National Family Support Competency Framework. This issue features Domain 1: Infant and Early Childhood Development, which focuses on supporting the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional growth of young children — one of the most vital aspects of home[…..]

By Asaiah Beaman Fisher (Home Visiting Training and Support Coordinator) As part of our continued efforts to support Delaware’s home visiting professionals, Prevent Child Abuse Delaware is excited to offer several dynamic training sessions this spring and summer! Four-Part Virtual Series on Substance Use 🗓️ June 5, 2025 | 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. Explore the[…..]

By Emily A. Thompson The Home Visiting Community Advisory Board met on April 7 in Dover. A wide range of updates were shared, including exciting progress across several initiatives supporting Delaware families. Key updates included: The IECMH Consultation pilot was completed, and there are plans to expand the model. Progress has also been made on[…..]

By Vik Vishnubhakta As we get into spring and summer, the MIECHV team will be carrying out multiple initiatives to improve data collection and reporting. In particular, the MIECHV team will be working with each local implementing agency (LIA) on quality assurance — that is, identifying what demographic, service utilization, and performance measures have considerable[…..]

By Asia Summers The Healthy Families Delaware team is thrilled to announce the newest addition, Angela Bravo-Vazquez, who joins as a Family Support/Resource Specialist in New Castle County. With a wealth of experience and a passion for helping families navigate challenges, Angela is a perfect fit for the program. Angela brings extensive experience in family[…..]

By Liset Villalobos In April, our NCC nurses represented the Nurse-Family Partnership and attended two community events. The first event, on April 15, was the Delaware First Health Baby Shower. Our nurses, not pictured, Agnes Kimani and Sara Rey-Gonzalez, attended this wonderful event and were able to obtain a referral who has recently enrolled in[…..]