Carolyn Babendreier, second from left, is a supervisor for Mary's Center Healthy Start program. Here she joins other home visitors. (Photo courtesy of Mary's Center)

Nisa Hussain: Home visitors are stuck in same situation as the families they work to uplift

By Commentary On Apr 21, 2023 Last updated Apr 20, 2023

Chances are that if you ask a policymaker to describe the District of Columbia’s early childhood system, most will talk at length about the essentialness of child care. This is especially likely during a budget debate when there are proposed cuts on the table, as is currently the case for fiscal year 2024. However, another key early childhood service — home visiting — also deserves their attention, respect and funding as District families with young children find themselves squeezed by inflation, rising rents and higher food costs.

Nisa Hussain is a program manager at DC Action and leads the DC Home Visiting Council.

While perhaps less well-known, home visiting is a widespread, evidence-based nationwide strategy that offers a public health approach to supporting expectant parents, new parents and families with young children. These free and voluntary programs often focus on families with low incomes or who are facing multiple risk factors at once. DC’s home visiting programs reach families across all wards and offer invaluable support, especially to families still struggling to find their footing since the pandemic began. Unfortunately, they risk losing a dedicated home visiting workforce to higher-wage jobs.

Home visitors — also called family support workers, community health workers, or parent educators — love their work guiding expectant parents and families toward self-sufficiency and stability. They offer resources and guidance to reduce adverse childhood experiences, prevent family separation, and improve maternal and child health outcomes. Home visitors teach positive parenting practices, conduct screenings, deliver educational materials or diapers, explain health benefits, and more.

Carolyn Babendreier, a supervisor for Mary’s Center Healthy Start program, routinely finds herself in awe of the parents she works with, who are highly committed to their families despite their challenges. “It’s incredible to see the resiliency of parents. They just want to do the best for their children, and our program and the resources we provide are helping them get there,” she explained. Babendreier understands that parents often need someone in their corner because the parenting journey can be harrowing for anyone, no matter their level of income or systems of support.

A high level of trust is a significant component that can determine a family’s successful completion of a home visiting program. “So many moms just need someone to talk to,” Babendreier said. “I would call a mom to go over enrollment in the program, and we’d talk for two hours. No one else was asking how they were feeling in the midst of these big emotional periods like pregnancy or postpartum. Or even if they do have good relationships with their families, not everyone understands perinatal and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders. That’s why this relationship is so important.”

As home visitors like Babendreier dedicate their time to supporting families who are navigating barriers to economic, educational and emotional success, low pay and diminishing resources are pushing these important health workers out of the workforce. Some earn less than the families they serve.

A snapshot of the DC home visiting workforce shows a highly educated group (80% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher) with backgrounds in social work, child development, early child development and nursing; 84% are women; 56% identify as Latinx/Hispanic; and 27% identify as Black. Recent survey data shows the average salary in 2021 for DC home visitors was $43,997. A modest yet adequate standard of living in DC requires at least $46,308 for a single adult with no children.

Many home visitors can’t afford to live in the community where they work. They can barely afford to support their own families, even as they’re called upon to advise participants on their path toward financial independence. “That’s why we’re advocating to increase wages — so we can pay our workers the amount they deserve, so they can focus on their work instead of making ends meet,” Babendreier said.

When home visitors have to quit to find higher-paying jobs to support their own families, the meaningful relationships they build with participant families are cut short. These interruptions ultimately diminish the impacts of home visiting.

Home visitors across the District are calling on the DC Council to find an additional $1.5 million in next year’s budget for DC Health and the Child and Family Services Agency to fund the grant programs that pay home visitors’ salaries.

Without this vital financial support, DC’s successful home visiting programs risk losing their valuable workforce and the positive child and family outcomes they work so hard to achieve for the District.

Nisa Hussain is a program manager at DC Action and leads the DC Home Visiting Council, a coalition of home visiting providers, local government representatives, early childhood advocates and community-based programs.

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