As part of a series of reports designed to support the implementation of Proposition 10: The California Children and Families Act and to provide comprehensive and authoritative information on critical issues concerning young children and families in California, this report examines home visiting as a service delivery strategy for early intervention services. The aim of the report is to assist Proposition 10 commissioners in the planning and policy-setting process by characterizing existing home visiting programs and models commonly used in California, by summarizing the research literature--highlighting key components associated with positive outcomes--and recommending strategies for integrating home visiting programs into the continuum of comprehensive services for young children and their families. The report begins with definitions and descriptions of theoretical frameworks and describes several program models. The report then examines the effectiveness of different types of programs. Funding sources are discussed. Barriers to determining the effectiveness of home visiting programs are examined and recent evaluation results are presented. This section also suggests strategies for strengthening and for evaluating home visiting programs. The report concludes by asserting that with efforts to improve the quality and sustainability of home visiting programs, to integrate home visiting into the broader service-delivery system, and to build knowledge and facilitate its inclusion in community planning, state and local Proposition 10 commissions can achieve wise resource allocation and more creative and innovative home visiting programs for mothers and their young children. The report's ten appendices include descriptions of the theoretical basis of home visiting programs, program characteristics, common home visiting programs in California, fund streams for California home visiting programs, examples of program performance measures, and particular home visiting programs in California. (Contains 50 references.) (KB)