ST. LOUIS — The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently was awarded $5.74 million in federal funding to expand its maternal, infant and early childhood home visiting services for families.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that Missouri’s infant mortality rate increased in 2021 to 2022 by 16%. The rate was 6.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, one of the highest increases in the country.

Some leading causes of infant deaths in the U.S. are birth defects, prematurity or low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), maternal complications of pregnancy and respiratory distress syndrome, according to the CDC.

DESE’s programs provide home visits from nurses, social workers, and other trained health workers who work with families on early and ongoing engagement in prenatal care and postpartum support, according to a press release.

Parents also can learn about breastfeeding, safe sleep for babies, communication practices that promote early language development, developmental screening, getting children ready to succeed in school, and connect them with key services and resources such as affordable child care or job and educational opportunities.

In St. Louis County, an average of 50 children between ages 1-17, and 80 infants, die annually, according to the St. Louis County Department of Public Health (DPH).

Between 2013 and 2022, there were 82 suspected infant deaths caused by unsafe sleep environments,

President Biden signed bipartisan legislation in 2022, which doubled the funding for the federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program over five years, according to the press release.

For Missouri, the legislation represents an increase of $2 million per year for home visiting services.

To discover more about DESE’s home visiting services, visit the department’s website.