Proclaiming April 9, 2026, to Be "Rhode Island Home Visiting Day"

WHEREAS, Home visiting programs provide voluntary, evidence-based services that help parents meet the unique needs of their children, promote healthy development, strengthen family relationships, reduce the risk of abuse and neglect, and connect families with needed resources; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s Family Home Visiting system includes First Connections, Healthy Families America, and Parents as Teachers, which together provide coordinated, home- based supports to pregnant people and families with young children; and

WHEREAS, Many parents begin the lifelong responsibility of raising a child feeling unprepared for the challenges ahead, and children have a healthier start when parents have the support, knowledge, and skills needed to nurture their development; and

WHEREAS, Trained professionals deliver these home visiting services in ways that respect each family’s culture, beliefs, and traditions while connecting them to health care, social services, and community supports; and

WHEREAS, For more than four (4) decades, Rhode Island’s First Connections program, overseen by the Rhode Island Department of Health, has provided free, voluntary, statewide home visiting services to expectant parents and families with newborns, infants, and toddlers, reaching approximately thirty-five percent (35%) of families with new babies; and

WHEREAS, In 2010, Rhode Island expanded home visiting services through the implementation of nationally recognized, evidence-based models including Healthy Families America and Parents as Teachers, which connect pregnant and parenting families with trained professionals who provide guidance and support during the early stages of raising a child; and

WHEREAS, Since 2021, the number of families in Rhode Island receiving family home visiting services has declined by thirty-two percent (32%) due to staffing shortages and funding challenges; and

WHEREAS, Since 2021, the state’s only Nurse-Family Partnership program, six (6) Parents as Teachers programs, and two (2) Healthy Families programs have closed; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island has not allocated sufficient state resources to fully leverage available federal home visiting funding; and

WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island encourages individuals and organizations across the state to recognize and support home visiting programs as an important resource for the health and well-being of children and families; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby proclaims April 9, 2026, to be “Rhode Island Home Visiting Day” in the State of Rhode Island and encourages residents to recognize the vital role that home visiting programs play in supporting families and promoting healthy child development; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Jerome Larkin, MD, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, and Kim Merolla-Brito, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Human Services.