Today, First Focus Campaign for Children sent a letter to the House Ways & Means leadership in support of the Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act.
Excerpt from the letter:
We support your reauthorization bill and we especially appreciate the full five-year authorization, increased funding, doubling of the tribal set-aside, the continuation of virtual home visits, and new data collection disaggregated by race and ethnicity, all of which can be used to improve equity within MIECHV for the children and families it serves. We also support the new set-aside for home visiting workforce support and retention. Home visitors, the overwhelming majority of whom are women, often do not receive competitive wages and benefits, which can lead to challenges in recruiting and retaining a skilled workforce. Low compensation prevents home visitors from earning salaries that can support themselves and their families, and instability in the workforce negatively impacts the services families receive and the positive impacts home visiting can have. The bill’s new focus on the workforce and its importance to the success of children, has the potential to help positively transform the way we value the work of professionals in early learning settings.