Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Increasing Opportunity and Success for Children and Parents through Evidence-Based Home Visiting Act” (H.R. 2824) in a bipartisan manner by a vote of 214-209. The bill reauthorizes the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program through FY 2022. First Five Years Fund (FFYF) executive director Kris Perry released the following statement in response to the bill’s passage:

“The House’s passage of this bill is an important step toward reauthorizing MIECHV. We are grateful to see Members in the House taking action to ensure families across America can continue to access the life-changing home visiting opportunities made possible by MIECHV.

“Voluntary home visiting programs help parents be their child’s best teacher so their child develops the skills needed to take on the world. Republicans and Democrats in both Chambers of Congress must now come together to get MIECHV reauthorization over the finish line.

“Earlier this month, the Senate introduced its own bipartisan bill to extend MIECHV, which is set to expire on Friday. With legislation coming from each house of Congress and both sides of the aisle, we are optimistic that lawmakers will come together and agree on a solution that maintains important voluntary home visiting programs like MIECHV.”

Home visiting programs, like those made possible by MIECHV, pair families with limited support and resources with trained home visitors such as nurses, social workers, and educators. Home visitors meet with families at home and work with families from pregnancy through their child’s kindergarten entry to help lay the foundation for the health, education, development, and economic self-sufficiency of the entire family. Visits by caring, experienced professionals can turn good intentions into good parenting, breaking generations-long cycles of poverty, addiction, abuse, and despair.

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The First Five Years Fund provides knowledge, data and advocacy – persuading federal policymakers to make investments in the first five years of a child’s life that create greater returns for all. FFYF helps America achieve better results in education, health and economic productivity through investments in quality early childhood education programs for disadvantaged children. http://www.ffyf.org