House Panel Examines In-Home Parent Education and Family Support Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of the U.S. House Education Reform Subcommittee today heard perspectives on in-home programs designed to deliver parent education and family support services directly to parents with young children.  Witnesses at the hearing also examined the Education Begins at Home Act (H.R. 3628), legislation to award grants to states that establish or expand early childhood home visitation programs.

“The purpose of today’s proceedings was not necessarily to demonstrate support for any one program or any one piece of legislation,” said Subcommittee Vice-Chairman Tom Osborne (R-NE). “Rather, we were here to listen and to learn about the concept behind and impact of these programs.  Few would argue that parent-child relationships and the home environment are not critical elements of child development.  And early childhood home visitation programs aim to bolster those relationships and improve the environment at home.”

Research on the impact of early intervention programs have produced varied data, with some studies showing that a combination of in-home programs with out-of-home, center-based programs may be more effective in producing positive outcomes than programs using either approach alone.

Michele Ridge, former First Lady of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and member of the National Board of Directors of the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), discussed her experience working with the NFP, a home visitation program for low-income, first-time parents and their children.

“The NFP model is designed to help families achieve three major goals: improve pregnancy outcomes; improve child health and development; and improve parents’ economic self-sufficiency,” said Ridge.  “By achieving these program objectives, many of the major risks for poor health and social outcomes can be significantly reduced…  We know that investing in children during the earliest years of their lives holds promise for both improving long-term human functioning and improving the economic productivity of our society.”

Dr. Deborah Daro, research fellow and associate professor at the University of Chicago’s Center for Children echoed Ridge’s support for in-home programs and shared with the panel her belief that the Education Begins at Home Act represents a significant milestone in establishing an effective and more easily accessible system of support for newborns and their parents. 

Noting that H.R. 3628 could be an important vehicle for identifying the effective ways of introducing home visitation into existing systems of early intervention services, Daro told Members of the subcommittee, “The ultimate success of this legislation will hinge on the willingness of state leaders to continue to support data collection and careful planning and on the willingness of program advocates to carefully monitor their implementation process and to modify their efforts in light of emerging findings with respect to impacts.”

Anna Scovell, a supervisor for the Sussex County (Delaware) Parents as Teachers program underscored the value of home visits.  She noted that families enrolled in the Sussex in-home program demonstrated increased parent knowledge of childhood development, improved parenting practices, early detection of developmental delays and health issues, prevention of child abuse and neglect, and increased school readiness and school success.  Scovell explained that she believes the Education Begins at Home Act has raised the profile of in-home parent education and family support programs.

“All parents deserve parenting information and family support,” Scovell noted.  “Providing this parenting education and family support in the home is critically important because it strengthens the individual relationship with the family, increases the parent’s ability to utilize the services, and encourages parents to incorporate the parenting information and strategies in their day-to-day home life.”

H.R. 3628 – co-sponsored by Osborne and subcommittee Members, Reps. Todd Platts (R-PA) and Danny K. Davis (D-IL) – would authorize $400 million in state grants over three years to establish or expand early childhood home visitation programs.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Department of Education, would award these funds competitively, and the grants may be used to support parent education and family support services provided in home settings.  Within this program, assistance would be targeted to English language learners and military families, with more than $50 million over three years directed toward programs serving these populations specifically.

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