Fact Sheet Early Childhood Interventions Improved Select Child and Family Outcomes
First-Year Outcomes of the Spartanburg, SC, Hello Family Pay for Success Project
Mingli Zhong, Heather Sandstrom, Fernando Hernandez-Lepe, William J. Congdon
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This fact sheet was revised April 22, 2025, to correct misreported data. In the revised data, in 2022 Spartanburg had an emergency medical care visit rate of 39.1 visits per 100 babies, and the synthetic control for other parts of South Carolina had a rate of 50.5 visits per 100 babies. That difference suggests about 52 emergency care visits were avoided as a result of the Hello Family project. (A previous version stated that Spartanburg’s emergency medical care visit rate was 29 per 1,000 babies, the synthetic control’s was 49 per 1,000 babies, and the difference suggested 46 avoided emergency care visits.) These data have been corrected in the key findings on page 1, in table 1, and in the bulleted paragraph starting with “fewer emergency care visits” on page 2.

The Hello Family Pay for Success (PFS) project in Spartanburg, South Carolina, aims to enhance child and family outcomes through evidence-based services from prenatal development to kindergarten entry. This fact sheet presents the first-year outcomes of three programs—BirthMatters, Family Connects, and Triple P —following interventions in 2022.

Why This Matters

Early childhood interventions can significantly impact child and family well-being. This project's innovative structure involves local government, lenders, intermediaries, service providers, and evaluators, advancing knowledge and expanding services for Spartanburg residents.

Key Takeaways

  • BirthMatters’ doula support for young mothers on Medicaid improved four birth outcomes:
    • two fewer cesarean deliveries
    • three fewer NICU admissions
    • six fewer cases of low birthweight
    • eight more babies initiated breastfeeding
  • Family Connects’s universal home-visiting program helped avoid 52 infant emergency care visits.
  • Child maltreatment rates remained unchanged after one year, warranting longer-term evaluation.

How We Did It

The study used synthetic control methods to compare outcomes in Spartanburg with weighted averages from similar South Carolina counties. Data sources included vital statistics, hospital records, and child maltreatment reports. The analysis will be replicated annually for five years to track outcomes for this PFS project.
Research and Evidence Family and Financial Well-Being Health Policy Tax and Income Supports
Expertise Families Reproductive and Maternal Health Social Safety Net Early Childhood
Tags Child maltreatment and prevention Families with low incomes Family care and support Early childhood home visiting Maternal, child, and reproductive health Children's health and development Parenting Pay for success Place-based initiatives Children and youth Quantitative data analysis
States South Carolina
Cities Spartanburg, SC
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