2026 -- H 8423

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LC006034

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

PROCLAIMING APRIL 9, 2026, TO BE "RHODE ISLAND HOME VISITING DAY"

     Introduced By: Representatives Giraldo, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Stewart,
Alzate, Voas, Cruz, Sanchez, and Slater

     Date Introduced: April 09, 2026

     Referred To: House read and passed

     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.

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LC006034

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