Implementing Early Steps to School Success™—Home Visiting

Save the Children provides training and ongoing support for local implementation of Early Steps and provides a grant to the school district to cover implementation expenses. States and local school districts contribute funding and in-kind matches. The school district provides office space, as well as areas for parent–child groups and community meetings, and covers office-related expenses.

Save the Children’s average cost per year per child for Early Steps services, including home visiting, parent–child groups, the book bag exchange, and transition to school activities, is $2,000 (2018 U.S. dollars). The estimate includes all Save the Children costs for salaries, program administration, and the grant to the school district that covers the home visitor’s salary, mileage, and home visiting and parent–child group materials.

The school district’s grant from Save the Children covers the home visitor’s annual salary of $40,000 (2018 U.S. dollars).

There is no cost to purchase the model or an operating license.

The first-year cost for the curricula, materials, and the book bag exchange is about $7,000 (2017 U.S. dollars) per site. This cost is included in Save the Children’s grant to the local school district.

The training and technical assistance costs are included in the average cost per child.

Save the Children's estimated cost for the data system is $4,000 per year per site (2018 U.S. dollars).

The home visitors are responsible for recruiting and retaining families, and the costs associated with these activities are included in their salaries.

The information contained on this page was last updated in August 2019. Recommended Further Reading lists the sources for this information. In addition, the information contained in this profile was reviewed for accuracy by Judith Jerald, Senior Early Childhood Advisor, Save the Children, on May 1, 2019. HomVEE reserves the right to edit the profile for clarity and consistency.