Healthy Families

Vision & Mission

Healthy Families helps families develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to meet the unique needs of their babies. Healthy Families is a proven effective home visiting program that assist parents in creating healthy, safe, and nurturing environments that lead to children who arrive at kindergarten eager and ready to learn.

Goals

Improve the health and well-being of women, children, and families
Increase school readiness
Reduce foster care placements, hospitalizations, unintended pregnancies, and other costly interventions.

Return on Investment

Healthy Families was effective in preventing child maltreatment in 92% of the families served.
Ninety percent of Healthy Families 3-year olds participate in Early Childhood Screening and 90% score within normal range.
The cost of providing Healthy Families’ preventive services to one family is about one-quarter of the expense of investigating and prosecuting a single case of abuse in the County’s child protection system (about $26,000 per case)

Program Partners

CAP Dakota Healthy Families home visiting staff work closely with 360 Communities and Dakota County Public Health who also employ Dakota Healthy Families home visitors.
CAP DHF home visitors also have referral relationships with Dakota County school districts, head start programs, Public Health Nurses, and other county services.
Dakota Healthy Families is also a part of the Metro Alliance for Healthy Families. The Alliance is based upon a Joint Powers Agreement and includes: Anoka County, Carver County, Chisago County, Hennepin County, Isanti County, Ramsey County, Scott County, Washington County and the City of Bloomington.

“Helped me cope with the stress of being a first time parent”