SB20-144: Home Visiting Expansion Grant Program

• Establishes the home visiting expansion grant program in the Department of Human Services to expand access to nationally recognized, evidence-based home visiting models that improve school readiness for Colorado children.

• Provides up to $2 million per grant cycle for three-year periods, with two cycles total (first cycle awards by January 1, 2021; second cycle by January 1, 2024), distributed in equal annual payments.

• Eligible implementation entities must follow evidence-based home visiting models that address healthy caregiver-child relationships, prenatal/maternal health, child abuse prevention, positive parenting, social-emotional health, and family economic self-sufficiency, and must provide culturally appropriate, trauma-informed, and voluntary services.

• Requires the State Board of Human Services to establish rules by September 1, 2020 specifying eligibility criteria, timeline, selection standards, and goals including serving all age groups from prenatal through kindergarten and prioritizing immigrants, refugees, and rural communities.

• Mandates evaluation reports at the conclusion of each grant cycle presented to the committee of reference through the SMART Act process, measuring families served, demographics, models funded, and outcomes achieved; program repeals September 1, 2028.