Community Readiness: A Toolkit to Support Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program Awardees in Assessing Community Capacity

Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program awardees must conduct a state- or territory-wide needs assessment that includes an assessment of community readiness.

In the context of evidence-based home visiting, community readiness assessment reviews community connections, capacity and infrastructure to address service gaps through home visiting, and willingness to support home visiting programs. The process should include the perspectives of community leaders, service providers, and other stakeholders and aim to foster potential partnerships.

The MIECHV Community Readiness Toolkit draws on multiple resources to guide users through the process of defining community stakeholders and exploring the dimensions and stages of readiness. The toolkit is organized into three sections:

1. Compiling Existing Community Data reviews and expands on information compiled for the needs assessment by adding information on resources and services available to families in the community.
2. Collecting Stakeholder Data uses interviews, focus groups, and other methods to gather data from leaders, service providers, and other stakeholders.
3. Developing a Community Profile compiles the data to develop a community profile that summarizes the level of need for home visiting services, capacity to deliver services, and preparedness to support home visiting programs.

Each section includes action steps, recommendations, and worksheets to help users gather, compile, and interpret information.