Policy Resource
Iowa’s Virtual Home Visiting System Connects Families to Resources
All parents can benefit from high-quality evidence-based information to support them while pregnant and raising small children.

To meet this need, the Iowa Department of Health (IDH) created Parentivity, an online interactive home visiting system that connects parents with a rich library of resources. The system uses data to identify early warning signs and deliver personalized content to parents to reduce family risks and optimize resilience. Features include interactive learning games, self-assessments, evidence-based videos and articles, action plans and goal tracking, community chat boards, and expert forums. Parentivity is funded through Iowa’s Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting grant to extend and expand the reach of IDH’s maternal health and family home visiting services.
Parentivity provides parents with the right information at the right time based on the unique needs of each child. Parentivity can be accessed on a computer, tablet or hand-held device by any parent in Iowa at no cost. The evidence-based content was developed by leading experts to assist new parents in ensuring their child has the skills and opportunity to grow and thrive.
Revised April 2020
Read more about:
You might also be interested in
-
Video
Building Strong Foundations for Families Project: Impacts and Lessons Learned
Building Strong Foundations for Families (BSFF), a state technical assistance project conducted from 2020 - 2022, was designed to assist selected states in building and strengthening comprehensive po…
-
Article
DC Makes Early Childhood Compensation Gains
Last year, the Washington, DC City Council established the DC Early Childhood Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force in an effort to address the inadequate pay of the city’s child care providers.
Explore More Iowa Focused Resources & Initiatives
-
Article
As states across the nation make difficult decisions about how to move forward, the outlook is grim. Without the federal aid mentioned above, the hits to state budgets will be severe and long lasting…
-
Article
State Supplemental Funds Boost the Power of EHS
Early Head Start (EHS) federal funding is an essential component of a state’s approach to providing high quality services to infants, toddlers and their families. Many states, however, are providing …
-
Article