State letting down parents with budget impasse

Parents are children's first and most effective teachers. The lessons they impart, the examples they set, and the ways they nurture their kids amount to the best education most youngsters will ever receive. That's what makes Illinois' lack of support for "parent coaching" programs so troubling.

For years, these efforts - with names such as Healthy Families Illinois and Parents Too Soon - have operated in communities ranging from Waukegan to Wheaton and Aurora to Arlington Heights. They've emphasized positive parental engagement with at-risk infants and toddlers.

Businesses stand to benefit when we help new moms and dads ensure that their children get the best possible start in life. These voluntary programs provide information about how best to support children's nutrition, physical growth, and cognitive development; studies show they also help parents avoid the abuse or neglect that sometimes occurs when parents are overstressed or ill-informed about how to cope with raising children.

Historically, these services have reached fewer than one in 10 qualifying children in Illinois. The $16 million in state funding only stretched so far. Now, five months into the fiscal year, state leaders' ongoing failure to finalize a budget for human services leaves these children without critical state resources, and federal help is limited.

This is worse than shortsighted. It works entirely against the lessons of research - such as Nurse-Family Partnership studies in Memphis and Denver that found greater language development among participating children by age 4, and better GPAs and test scores throughout grade school.

For the good of families, our society, and our economy, we need to return to helping parents do what they can do best for their kids.

Kaili Harding, President

Schaumburg Business Association