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Albany County approves funding and multi-year agreements to continue Healthy Families home‑visiting services
Summary
The Albany County Board approved a budget amendment and authorized multi-year agreements to keep funding and local partnerships for the Healthy Families home‑visiting program, which county staff said focuses on early parent‑child bonding and preventive services.
The Albany County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved an amendment to the 2025 Department of Children, Youth and Families budget and authorized contracts to continue the Healthy Families home‑visiting program.
County staff said the board approved a five‑year renewal agreement with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services and authorized a partner agreement with Parsons Child and Family Center to deliver home‑visiting services in Albany County. The measures were approved by voice vote; no roll‑call counts were recorded in the transcript.
County Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) staff told commissioners the program works with pregnant mothers and families with children up to age 3 under its traditional eligibility and said the program has been expanded to include families involved with child protective services in which the child may be eligible up to age 24 months. "They provide case management services. They provide also some support. It's an evidence based curriculum," a DCYF representative said.
The staff representative described Healthy Families as "a true 100% prevention program and home visiting," saying home visitors typically meet with parents in the home at least twice a week to work on a parenting curriculum and parent‑child bonding. The county also described an annual graduation ceremony for program participants, and staff invited commissioners to an upcoming Healthy Families carnival at the St. Louis campus.
Commissioners asked how referrals are made; the DCYF representative said Albany County residents can call the county SPOA line and be referred directly to Healthy Families. Staff also said partners such as pediatricians and obstetricians make referrals, and the program supplies some basic needs items such as diapers and formula for families served.
Parsons Child and Family Center was identified in the meeting as the county's long‑standing local partner for delivering home‑visiting services. The county said the partnership has lasted at least two decades and will continue under the newly authorized agreement.
All motions related to Healthy Families — the budget amendment and the two contract authorizations — were approved by voice vote. The board did not record named movers or a roll‑call tally in the meeting transcript.
