Childhood Begins at Home campaign supports safety of Washington, Greene families
Child advocates, including Blueprints CEO Darlene J. Bigler, Joan Benso, president and CEO of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, and Pittsburgh neonatologist Dr. Robert Cicco, met Thursday to discuss a campaign promoting evidence-based home visiting programs and to champion an increase in the 2018-19 state budget to expand home visiting programs to additional Pennsylvania programs.
Childhood Begins at Home is a statewide campaign designed to help policymakers and the public understand the value of evidence-based home visiting as an effective way to support parents.
In Washington and Greene counties, families can benefit from home visiting programs that have been proven to improve maternal and child health, literacy and economic security, and reduce child abuse and neglect, said Bigler.
However, according to findings released by the Childhood Begins at Home Campaign, only one percent of Washington and Greene County children younger than 6, known to the child welfare system, received appropriate evidence-based home visiting services to reduce the likelihood of future child abuse and neglect last year.
Only one percent of Washington and Greene County babies born on Medicaid received the appropriate evidence-based home visiting services following their birth last year.
And only five percent of children living in low-income families and just 51 percent of children born to a mother without a high school diploma received evidence-based home visiting proven to improve family economic security and early literacy.
Childhood Begins at Home is advocating for a $6.5 million increase in the state budget to expand evidence-based home visiting to an additional 800 families, and to provide funds to improve staff training.
Currently, there are four evidence-based models using about $50 million in state and federal funds to provide home visiting services in Pennsylvania: Early Head Start, Healthy Families America, Nurse-Family Partnership and Parents as Teachers.
In Washington County, two home visiting models are used – Early Head Start and Parents As Teachers; in Greene County, Early Head Start, Nurse-Family Partnership and Parents as Teachers are used.
“Evidence-based home visiting is a research-proven tool to promote the development and safety of our most vulnerable children and their families. Far too many of Greene and Washington counties’ youngest children are at risk of child abuse and neglect, live in poverty, and experience poor education and health outcomes,” said Bigler. “At times, parents and others raising children need support to improve their education, as well as the health, safety and economic stability of their families.”
Further complicating the lives of many families is the opioid crisis.
During home visits, nurses and other trained professionals visit with women, families and children as early as the beginning of pregnancy.
Said Cicco, “I’ve really learned the circumstances that shape babies’ lives ultimately are occurring well before that baby is born. The mothers’ physical, psychological and mental health really play a critical role in determining the outcome of that pregnancy, and also play a role in that child’s development later in life.”
He also believes evidence-based home visiting programs are an important component to overall treatment for mothers with an opioid addiction.
“Supporting babies and their families are really the best investment we can make. I can’t imagine not investing in children and their future,” said Cicco. “We need to realize the return on investment we get by investing in our children, both in their health and their education, is tremendous. Our babies and families need the support of programs like Early Head Start and Parents As Teachers to tackle the challenges they have. Now is the time to do that.”