[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1484 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1484
Recognizing the importance of evidence-based parenting and caregiving
education in elementary and secondary schools.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 20, 2024
Mrs. Ramirez (for herself, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Carson, Ms.
Garcia of Texas, and Mr. Doggett) submitted the following resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the importance of evidence-based parenting and caregiving
education in elementary and secondary schools.
Whereas evidence-based parenting and caregiving education in schools provides
students critical information and tools that can empower them to be
agents of change that can result in positive social, emotional, and
economic outcomes;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledges that
parenting takes many different forms and that there are positive
parenting practices that work well across diverse families and in
diverse settings, including responding to children in a predictable way,
showing warmth and sensitivity, having routines and household rules,
supporting health and safety, and using appropriate discipline without
harshness;
Whereas studies have shown that parenting and caregiving programs created to
promote healthy cognitive, emotional, and social development can improve
the prospects and quality of life for children;
Whereas parenting and caregiving programs can provide critical information on
child development and safety, promote positive parenting and caregiving
behaviors, teach effective discipline strategies, and reduce levels of
child abuse and neglect;
Whereas adaptive behaviors are defined by the American Psychological Association
as the level of everyday performance of tasks that is required for a
person to fulfill typical roles in society, including maintaining
independence and meeting cultural expectations regarding personal and
social responsibility;
Whereas positive parenting and caregiving practices are directly linked to
adaptive behaviors in children and can help avert adverse outcomes,
especially among at-risk children;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that many factors
can increase or decrease the likelihood of someone experiencing and
perpetrating violence and defines risk factors as characteristics that
may increase the likelihood of experiencing or perpetrating child abuse
and neglect;
Whereas positive parenting and caregiving education can inform and make families
aware of strategies and tools to prevent child mistreatment, which can
interrupt healthy development in children and lead to maladaptive
functioning;
Whereas research has shown that the damaging consequences of abuse and neglect
can reshape a child's brain, resulting in consequences that last
throughout their life, influence the child's amygdala, which regulates
emotions, particularly fear and anxiety, and change the functioning of
the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for thinking, planning,
reasoning, and decision making, which can all lead to behavioral and
academic problems;
Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, child maltreatment can
cause severe short- and long-term physical, sexual, and mental health
consequences, including head injuries and severe disability, post-
traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and sexually transmitted
infections, which can contribute to social problems including substance
abuse, perpetrating or being a victim of violence, smoking, obesity, and
unintended pregnancy;
Whereas research has shown that the adverse effects of abuse and neglect on a
child's brain and behavioral development are not static and can be
reversed with intervention and positive changes in a child's environment
that take place when the abuse ends and after the child is given the
support they require;
Whereas, according to a recent study through the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the total national economic burden associated with child
abuse and neglect from Federal fiscal year 2018 is approximately
$563,000,000,000;
Whereas there are several Federal agencies supporting and providing parenting
and caregiving education programs, including--
(1) the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood programs operated
by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Family Assistance,
which provide funding for grants, contracts, research and evaluation, and
other activities to strengthen families, promote responsible parenting, and
improve family economic stability;
(2) the Head Start and Early Head Start programs operated by the
Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and
Families, which offer comprehensive early childhood education and
development services to low-income children and their families, among other
things, and, in accordance with the statutes authorizing such programs,
``provide services to parents to support their role as parents (including
parenting skills training and training in basic child development)'';
(3) the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program
operated jointly by the Health Resources and Services Administration and
the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health
and Human Services, which--
G (A) seeks to improve health, well-being, and educational outcomes
for vulnerable families with young children; and
G (B) provides services to the families who voluntarily participate,
including periodic visits from nurses, social workers, or other
professionals, home visits to provide tailored services such as parenting
education, caregiver well-being and child development screenings, and
referrals to community support;
(4) Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education)
operated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
which aims to promote the healthy social and emotional development of
school-aged youth and prevent youth violence in school settings; and
(5) the Child and Family Development Program operated by the National
Institute of Food and Agriculture, which strengthens and enhances the well-
being of children, adults, and families by supporting research, education,
and extension in the areas of prenatal care, early childhood health,
nutrition, and care, maternal health, parenting education, adult and family
relationships, adult development and aging, kinship care, intergenerational
programming, rural health disparities, rural health and safety, and
professional development in early childhood and adult care;
Whereas Illinois, West Virginia, and California have supported parenting and
caregiving education in their schools; and
Whereas Nobel Prize-winning economist James J. Heckman has found that investing
in early childhood education and developmental opportunities for at-risk
children is an effective strategy to reduce social costs to taxpayers:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the importance of evidence-based parenting
and caregiving education; and
(2) encourages schools to promote evidence-based parenting
and caregiving education.
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