Pallone Announces $11,494,745 to Improve Children’s Health in New Jersey

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) announced that the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services will receive $11,494,745 to support home visiting services to pregnant women and parents with young children. These funds are part of a broader effort to support the healthy development and well-being of children living in areas with high rates of low birth weight, teen pregnancy, infant mortality and poverty.

“Home visiting services offer parents the tools and resources they need to ensure their children’s futures are healthy and happy,” said Pallone. “A one-on-one consultation during pregnancy or in a child’s early years can have a meaningful, demonstrable impact on that child’s development as well as the health and well-being of the mother.”

The Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with President Obama’s Early Learning Initiative, awarded $386 million in grants to states, territories and nonprofit organizations to support the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. Families that elect to participate receive assistance from health, social service and child development professionals aimed at improving the health and development of their children, preventing child abuse and preventable injuries, and improving school readiness.