Virginia's home visiting system is entering a new chapter.

For more than a decade, the Commonwealth has invested in building high-quality home visiting programs that improve outcomes for pregnant people, young children, and families. Those investments created a strong foundation. Today, the challenge is different. Success is no longer defined solely by the quality of individual programs, but by how well those programs work together as part of a coordinated system that ensures every family can access the right support at the right time.

This year marked an important step in that evolution.

While local programs continue to face significant challenges—including workforce pressures, changing family needs, rural access, and persistent funding uncertainty—they also demonstrated remarkable resilience and innovation. After several years of declining statewide reach, signs of stabilization are emerging. Programs reported increases in workforce capacity and enrollment of pregnant women, adapted service delivery to better meet families where they are and strengthened partnerships within their communities. At the same time, Virginia increased investment in home visiting to secure additional federal resources, and positioned evidence-based home visiting for future sustainability through new funding opportunities.

Perhaps more importantly, this year reinforced that improvement must extend beyond individual programs.

Across statewide surveys, continuous quality improvement initiatives, listening visits, referral assessments, family engagement, and cross-sector partnerships, one message emerged consistently: families experience systems, not programs. Although Virginia benefits from an extraordinary network of local providers, access continues to depend too heavily on geography, individual relationships, and fragmented referral pathways. Strengthening outcomes for families will require strengthening the connections between organizations just as intentionally as we strengthen individual services.

These insights are reshaping Early Impact Virginia's work.

Throughout the year, EIV worked alongside state agencies, local programs, families, healthcare providers, and community partners to better understand what families need, what communities are learning, and where statewide action could make the greatest difference. Those insights informed efforts to strengthen the infrastructure that supports home visiting—from workforce development and leadership to coordinated referrals, continuous quality improvement, public awareness, and sustainable funding. By connecting people, ideas, and resources across the Commonwealth, EIV helped build a stronger, more coordinated system for families.

This work reflects an important shift in how Virginia approaches home visiting. The Commonwealth is moving beyond expanding individual programs toward building an integrated maternal and early childhood system that is more coordinated, equitable, and responsive to families' needs. That evolution recognizes that lasting impact depends not only on the quality of services, but on the strength of the relationships, infrastructure, and partnerships that connect them.

Looking ahead, Early Impact Virginia is developing a new strategic plan that reflects the system’s continued evolution—from strengthening individual programs to intentionally building a more connected and coordinated home visiting system that improves access for families across the Commonwealth.

By aligning local excellence with stronger statewide coordination, Virginia is building the conditions for every family to receive the support they need—and for every child to have the strongest possible start in life.

This report reflects the accomplishments, challenges, and system-level progress that defined 2025–2026 and reinforces the essential role of home visiting within Virginia’s evolving maternal, infant, and early childhood system. We look forward to continuing this work in partnership with state leaders, families, and communities across the Commonwealth.