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

S3208

2026 -- S 3208
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LC006179
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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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

Referred To:
Recommended for Immediate Consideration
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WHEREAS, Home visiting programs provide voluntary, evidence-based services that
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help parents meet the unique needs of their children, promote healthy development, strengthen
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family relationships, reduce the risk of abuse and neglect, and connect families with needed
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resources; and
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WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s Family Home Visiting system includes First Connections,
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Healthy Families America, and Parents as Teachers, which together provide coordinated, home-
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based supports to pregnant people and families with young children; and
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WHEREAS, Many parents begin the lifelong responsibility of raising a child feeling
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unprepared for the challenges ahead, and children have a healthier start when parents have the
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support, knowledge, and skills needed to nurture their development; and
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WHEREAS, Trained professionals deliver these home visiting services in ways that
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respect each family’s culture, beliefs, and traditions while connecting them to health care, social
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services, and community supports; and
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WHEREAS, For more than four (4) decades, Rhode Island’s First Connections program,
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overseen by the Rhode Island Department of Health, has provided free, voluntary, statewide
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home visiting services to expectant parents and families with newborns, infants, and toddlers,
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reaching approximately thirty-five percent (35%) of families with new babies; and
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WHEREAS, In 2010, Rhode Island expanded home visiting services through the
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implementation of nationally recognized, evidence-based models including Healthy Families
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America and Parents as Teachers, which connect pregnant and parenting families with trained

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professionals who provide guidance and support during the early stages of raising a child; and
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WHEREAS, Since 2021, the number of families in Rhode Island receiving family home
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visiting services has declined by thirty-two percent (32%) due to staffing shortages and funding
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challenges; and
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WHEREAS, Since 2021, the state’s only Nurse-Family Partnership program, six (6)
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Parents as Teachers programs, and two (2) Healthy Families programs have closed; and
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WHEREAS, Rhode Island has not allocated sufficient state resources to fully leverage
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available federal home visiting funding; and
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WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island encourages individuals and organizations across
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the state to recognize and support home visiting programs as an important resource for the health
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and well-being of children and families; now, therefore be it
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RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby proclaims April 9,
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2026, to be “Rhode Island Home Visiting Day” in the State of Rhode Island and encourages
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residents to recognize the vital role that home visiting programs play in supporting families and
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promoting healthy child development; and be it further
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RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
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transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Jerome Larkin, MD, Director of the Rhode
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Island Department of Health, and Kim Merolla-Brito, Director of the Rhode Island Department of
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Human Services.
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LC006179
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