Hearing - EBAH

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The Hearing is a SUCCESS!!! Education Begins at Home Heard in D.C.

On September 27, the U.S. House Education Reform Subcommittee held a hearing on early childhood home visiting programs. The hearing, which received a large, bipartisan turnout of twelve members of Congress, examined the proposed Education Begins at Home Act (EBAH, H.R. 3628). EBAH would create the first federal funding source specifically for early childhood home visiting.

We are proud to report that California's Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-Marin), Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego), and Congressman Buck McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) were among the members attending the hearing. Congresswoman Woolsey is the ranking Democratic member of the subcommittee. She and Davis have signed on as co-authors of the legislation.

At the hearing, Congresswoman Davis noted that she was “very heartened” that the committee was discussing early childhood home visitation and that, looking back at her time serving on a school board, and in the state legislature, it was to her “the most commonsensical thing we could do.” Congresswoman Woolsey is the ranking member of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over EBAH, so her support is of particular importance. She noted that the “greatest challenge will be that the program needs a dedicated source of funding. We’ll have no certainty about the level and quality of service unless we’re able to promise year to year funding.” Congressman McKeon, who is the chairman of the full Education and Workforce committee, spent 30 minutes at the hearing listening to testimony and questions and answers. EBAH will need Chairman McKeon’s blessing if it is to move forward, so his demonstration of interest in the bill is a very good sign.

Witnesses testifying at the hearing included Deborah Daro, a preeminent child abuse prevention and treatment researcher at the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall; Michelle Ridge, the former first lady of Pennsylvania; Anna Scorell of the Parents as Teachers home visiting program in Sussex County, Delaware; and James Burak, police chief of Milliken County, Colorado and member of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. The witnesses discussed and answered questions about the effectiveness of home visiting, the connections between early childhood and later crime, how program eligibility is determined, and what makes various home visiting programs work. The hearing was extended half an hour longer than its scheduled hour in order to accommodate the Congressional members' interest in the subject

EBAH would provide $500,000 for grants to support home visiting. $400,000 would be allotted to states, tribes and territories, which would coordinate among and distribute the funding to home visiting providers. This approach allows states to emphasize coordination and build on their existing successes. $100,000 would be distributed directly to home visiting programs serving military and English language learner families.

A sincere thank you must go out to all of our state partners who provided diligent outreach to their offices. Obviously, it is that kind of advocacy that can really make a difference!

If you’re interested, you can watch an archived webcast of the hearing at http://edworkforce.house.gov/hearings/hrgarchive.htm. For more information about PCA CA's Legislative Affairs division, please click here.