Improving connections to early childhood systems of care via a universal home visiting program in Massachusetts

•Welcome Family is a universal, short-term nurse home program for families with newborns that aims to serve as an entry point into the system of care for families with newborns in Massachusetts.•Welcome Family participants were more likely than a matched comparison group to enroll in evidence-based home visiting (EBHV) and receive Early Intervention (EI).•Universal, short-term home visiting may be an effective method of identifying, engaging, and enrolling families in a more intensive early childhood services.