This is the worst time to cut services

At an April event marking National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a representative of Governor Pat Quinn said the state was committed to ending violence and abuse against children. But the governor can't deliver on that pledge unless he rescinds $1.9 million in cuts he has proposed to home visiting programs, which are proven to reduce child abuse and neglect.

Meanwhile, the governor spared funding for the Pontiac Correctional Facility. Wouldn't it be better to spend money on programs that help prevent children from committing crimes and being incarcerated as adults?

The governor's proposed cuts would strip funding at a time when child abuse and neglect cases are on the rise throughout Illinois as the economy strains at-risk families. The 10 percent cut to home visiting and other prevention programs in the Department of Human Services is disproportionate compared to the 2 percent across-the-board cuts the governor proposed in his budget speech. Current state and federal costs of child abuse and neglect in Illinois are more than $1.2 billion a year. Now is clearly not the time to hamper the capacity of home visiting programs to protect our most vulnerable citizens.

The Illinois House of Representatives understands this. In contrast with the governor's budget proposal, the House supported investments in at-risk children - and the health of our economy and future work force - by passing HB 1053, which proposes an $8.2 million increase in funding for home visiting programs.

The governor should restore full funding to home visiting programs in the final budget. We cannot make a bad situation worse by failing to maximize our investments in the early childhood programs today that will bring about a healthier, more secure economy for Illinois tomorrow.

Diana Rauner

Executive Director

Ounce of Prevention Fund