Program Details

Trained public health nurses and community health workers meet with families where they are most comfortable, including in their homes, at a community location or through secure video visits. These visits help parents prepare for birth, understand their child’s development, build strong relationships and navigate resources such as health care, insurance, nutrition support and community services.

San Mateo County Health offers several nationally recognized home-visiting models, including Healthy Families San Mateo County, Nurse-Family Partnership, Black Infant Health and Promoting First Relationships. Every family’s needs are different, so staff work directly with families to find the program that offers the most helpful support. Families contact us once, and our team helps determine the best program based on their goals, pregnancy stage and child’s age.

Program Highlights

• Visits are offered where families feel most comfortable: at home, in community spaces or virtually through secure video.
• Services promote healthy pregnancies, safe home environments and strong parent-child relationships.
• Staff use developmental screenings to help track a child’s growth and identify early needs.
• Families receive parenting support, breastfeeding guidance, mental health and wellness checks and connection to community resources.
• Staff help families set and meet personal goals related to school, work, health or parenting.
• Referrals to community programs, insurance support, health care services and social support are provided based on each family’s needs.
• All services are free of cost to eligible San Mateo County families.

What We Offer

Our home-visiting programs include:

Healthy Families San Mateo County
Evidence-based home visits focused on supporting early child development, parenting skills and family well-being.

Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP)
Nurse home visits for first-time parents, beginning early in pregnancy and continuing through early childhood.

Black Infant Health (BIH)
A culturally rooted prenatal and postpartum program supporting African-American and Black families to improve birth outcomes and maternal and infant health.

Promoting First Relationships (PFR)
A structured 10- to 12-week program that strengthens bonding, attachment and social-emotional development for children ages 0 to 5.

Trauma Informed Approach – Public Health Nursing (TIA PHN)
Nurses are trained to support parents and caregivers who have experienced trauma and adversity for children ages 0 – 18. Public health nurses help families identify needs, address barriers to care and promote healthy development and well-being.

Learn more about how UCSF Nurses are Expanding Access to Home Visiting Programs