| R 231 |
| 2026 -- S 3208 Enacted 04/09/2026 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| PROCLAIMING APRIL 9, 2026, TO BE "RHODE ISLAND HOME VISITING DAY" |
Introduced By: Senators Valverde, Patalano, Ujifusa, Britto, Famiglietti, Dimitri, Mack, Vargas, Appollonio, and LaMountain |
| Date Introduced: April 09, 2026 |
| 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 Senate 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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| LC006179 |
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