How three critical early childhood behavioral health programs fare in the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

Among the Under 3 DC committees working to build an equitable, robust early childhood system in the District of Columbia is the Family Well-Being Committee, which monitors and advocates for the implementation of public investments in Home Visiting, HealthySteps and Healthy Futures. Over the past six months, the committee has engaged in strong advocacy during the District’s budget process, with members sharing their experiences with the three programs that are implemented across four District agencies — the Department of Health Care Finance, the Department of Behavioral Health, the Department of Health, and Child and Family Services Agency. We heard about the critical importance of Healthy Futures to early childhood educators, how HealthySteps supports both children and their parents or caregivers’ behavioral health, and directly from the home visiting workforce on how they ensure families have the necessary supports to provide a strong foundation for their children. 

Thankfully, the DC Council will make some critical investments in the fiscal year 2026 budget. 

Both HealthySteps and Healthy Futures funding will be maintained. However, it is worth noting that there has been no increase in program funding since 2019. Healthy Futures funding has steadily decreased since fiscal year 2020. While the committee is pleased that there will be no cuts to staffing or families served in this challenging budget year, we remain committed to ensuring that funding is sufficient going forward to retain staff, support families, and expand programs as applicable. 

A huge thank you to the DC councilmembers who supported DC early childhood programs this year. There is an increase in support for home visiting services for first-time parents through the Department of Health Care Finance’s home visiting program, Nurse Family Partnership. In their Council leadership roles, Councilmembers Christine Henderson (At-large) and Brianne Nadeau (Ward 1), who led the Committees on Health and Public Works & Operations, respectively, worked together to increase local funding for the Nurse Family Partnership Home Visiting Program to $625,000. This is an incredible investment that was necessary due to the decision by the Department of Health Care Finance not to proceed with the State Plan Amendment for Home Visiting Services, which would have allowed for Medicaid reimbursement. This decision not to move forward leaves money on the table, and we strongly encourage the Deputy Mayor and the associated government agencies to reconsider this decision. 

The DC Council’s Committee on Youth Affairs will also make a critical investment in home visiting this year, following hearings with advocates. Thank you, Councilmember Parker, for continuing to cite home visiting as a top priority, and for spearheading an additional $200,000 one-time dollars to support home visiting. This money will close a gap left by a loss in federal funds and previous one-timing local funding. Advocates will, however, need to work with the agency to ensure that this money is distributed correctly, as it has been distributed contrary to the Council’s intentions in prior years. 

Working across District government agencies will be critical for the success of Home Visiting programming in the District. We want all home visiting programs to be successful in the future and to ensure community input is front and center when making decisions on how to alter the programs. While DC Health’s budget does not include any significant cuts to home visiting programming, the agency has decided to move forward with a Request for Application (RFA) that will significantly shift funding for community-based organizations in the District that implement Home Visiting. DC Health shared in their budget hearing and budget oversight responses that the RFA would shift from sending Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) funding to one grantee, but would instead allow up to three grantees to apply for MIECHV funding. This could potentially  reduce the funding for the current grantee program from $1.2M to $415,000, which will necessitate the termination of staff and the release of families from the program. 

While we understand that there can be shifts in programming, this is a drastic change that was not made in consultation with the public, was not data-driven, and lacks a clear understanding of the home visiting landscape in the District. We want to ensure that changes are equitable and implemented with due diligence to ensure smooth transitions for employees and the families they serve. 

During these difficult and disruptive times, home visiting will continue to be a vital service to help DC families navigate the changing landscape of services, including Medicaid, the Alliance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and other programs. We strongly encourage DC Health to pause this RFA until more work can be done to support broader home visiting reform in the District. 

All in all, this budget season has been bittersweet. Some worthy investments are being made, but we know more is needed. Significantly deferring maintenance of these critical programs cannot be an option. The early childhood community must continue to think holistically about how the District is implementing prevention programs, such as HealthySteps, Healthy Futures, and Home Visiting across the District to ensure their maximum impact for families who need it the most. We are grateful to the DC Council and government agencies for their continued partnership in this work, and we appreciate all the members of the Under 3 DC Well-Being Committee who shared their testimonies with the DC Council.