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Texas Home Visiting
Program Description
Texas Home Visiting is a free, voluntary program through which early childhood and health professionals regularly visit the homes of pregnant women and families with children 5 years old and younger.
Through the use of evidence-based home visiting models, the program supports positive outcomes for children, increases family self-sufficiency, and creates communities where children and families can thrive.
Service Focus
Expecting parents, caregivers, or primary caregivers of a child 5 years old or younger. While roles vary, they center around people who have an ongoing relationship with and provide physical care for the child.
Families are eligible if the parent or primary caregiver is expecting or parenting a young child, from birth until the child's sixth birthday or start of kindergarten, whichever occurs first.
Families must reside in the county of a specified service delivery area or unified service area.
Project Director
Kacie Bell
Is the Project Director of the Texas Home Visiting Program under the Coalition of Health Service in Amarillo that works with at risk families and children in their homes aging from prenatal and birth to 5 years of age to help parents become self-sufficient and give children a boost to get ready for school. Kacie started at the inception of the Texas Home Visiting Program in 2012. By way of background, Kacie worked with pregnant teens, parents, and their children at two of the local high schools for ten years under AISD and Region 16. In addition, she worked in direct services as a Home Visitor for Region 16 Early Head Start for 3 years. She has a passion for meeting families where they are, and in turn empowering them to become successful. If Kacie is not working, she is watching her only daughter, Taytum, play basketball, whom is now a college student athlete, freshman, at WTAMU and on the Lady Buff Basketball team. Kacie holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Occupational Education from Wayland Baptist University.
Outreach Coordinator
DeDe Martinez
I have worked for the COHS for about nine years. I was a HIPPY Home Visitor for five years and then transitioned to Outreach Coordinator for the Texas Home Visiting Programs. When I go out to the community I represent all three program models such as Nurse Family Partnership (NFP), Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters ( HIPPY) and Parents as Teachers (PAT). I tell them about each program requirement, how they can complete an application and how important school readiness is at a young of a child. I have been married for nineteen years and we have four kids (3 girls and a boy). I can’t forget my favorite dog, yorkie-poodle Coco!
I love what I do because I get to inform the community about all our resources we have to offer and how important school readiness is for families that have young children.