About Partners in Community Outreach

Partners in Community Outreach (PiCO) is the coalition of West Virginia research-based In-Home Family Education programs.

What is In-Home Family Education?

In-Home Family Education (IHFE) is a voluntary program providing parenting education and support to families who are expecting an infant and/or have young children in their homes. These programs build protective factors which enable families to deal more successfully with whatever challenges arise. In-Home Family Education is a powerful strategy to promote positive childhood experiences; thereby preventing more costly services.

What do In-Home Family Educators do?

Trained In-Home Family Educators help parents understand their role as their child’s first and most important teacher. They provide information and support in such areas as prenatal care, child health, early learning and literacy, and child development and behavior. They help connect families to resources in their community and help families stay together safely. This is done by emphasizing each family’s strengths and helping them reach their goals.

The vision of Partners in Community Outreach is that every family in West Virginia has the opportunity to voluntarily participate in a high quality, community-based In-Home Family Education program that is offered from pregnancy until children are at least three years of age.

The mission of Partners in Community Outreach is to support and build the capacity and influence of evidence-based IHFE programs in WV to improve the health and well-being of our young children and their families.

Our Organizational Values:

  • PiCO values professional relationships based on respect.
  • PiCO values its integrity as a coalition of organizations providing evidence-based and strength-based IHFE services.
  • PiCO focuses on issues of shared interest across the different program models, resulting in better outcomes than individual programs or models are able to accomplish separately.
  • PiCO is committed to both policy and practice. This involves a wide range of activities (mentoring, training, technical assistance, public policy advocacy) benefiting its member organizations. PiCO recognizes that all staff play important roles supporting families.
  • PiCO is dedicated to collaborative relationships with local, state and national partners.
  • PiCO opposes discrimination in all its forms in the provision of IHFE services.
Program Models

Healthy Families America
www.healthyfamiliesamerica.org
Healthy Families America is a nationally recognized evidence-based home visiting program model designed to work with overburdened families who are at-risk for adverse childhood experiences, including child maltreatment. The HFA model, developed in 1992 by Prevent Child Abuse America, is based upon 12 Critical Elements derived from more than 30 years of research to ensure programs are effective in working with families. In West Virginia, Healthy Families America is available in Cabell, Mason, Wayne, Logan, and parts of Lincoln counties through Mountain State Healthy Families.

Maternal Infant Health Outreach Workers (MIHOW)
www.mihow.org
Maternal Infant Health Outreach Workers Program is a parent-to-parent intervention that targets families from pregnancy through the child’s third year of life. The program employs and trains parents to serve families in their own communities to encourage and support healthy lifestyles, positive parenting practices, and to help families understand and promote healthy child development. In West Virginia, the MIHOW program is available in Mingo and Ohio counties.

Parents as Teachers
www.parentsasteachers.org
Parents as Teachers is the overarching program philosophy of providing parents with child development knowledge and parenting support. The Parents as Teachers National Center drives that philosophy through four components (personal visits, group connections, screening and resource network) and three key areas of emphasis (parent-child interaction, development-centered parenting and family well-being).  In West Virginia, PAT is available in Barbour, Berkeley, Boone, Brooke, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hampshire, Hancock, Hardy, Jefferson, Lincoln, Kanawha, Ohio, Marshall, McDowell, Mercer, Mineral, Mingo (with bordering communities in Wayne), Monongalia, Monroe, Morgan, Nicholas, Preston, Raleigh, Randolph, Ritchie, Roane, Summers, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Wetzel, Wirt, Wood and Wyoming counties.

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Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia
Partners in Community Outreach West Virginia
Western Regional CASA
West Virginia Infant Toddler Mental Health Association
Mountain State Healthy Families