Throwing out the baby with the bath water -- and leaving millions of children and dollars behind

Posted on 07/18/2011 @ 06:10 PM

By Dr. Mimi Graham

Dr. Mimi Graham directs the Florida State University Center for Prevention & Early Intervention Policy.  Her work focuses on vulnerable infants and toddlers in poverty, child welfare, judicial systems, children of teen parents or who have experienced trauma. Dr Graham and her team created the “Partners for a Healthy Baby” series widely used for prenatal and infancy home visiting across the nation.

Despite decades of successful home-visiting programs from Key West to Pensacola, the Florida Legislature has rejected millions in federal dollars that would prevent premature babies, domestic violence, substance abuse, crime, poverty and child maltreatment.

The Florida Legislature has slashed state funding for home visiting despite the critical need, demonstrated effectiveness and great cost benefits. Despite Florida’s persistently dismal ranking at the bottom in the nation on almost every indicator of child well-being (see Florida’s State of the Children Report) the Legislature severely cut Florida’s major state-funded prevention programs ($10 million from Healthy Families and $5.4 million from Healthy Start). Last year, the nationally accredited statewide child abuse prevention home-visiting program called Healthy Families was slashed by $10 million (36%), despite consistently showing effectiveness in preventing maltreatment and despite Florida’s heart-wrenching child abuse rate, more than double the national rate. The cut meant the loss of 267 jobs and services to more than 3,500 high-risk families. Unsurprisingly, the child abuse hotline has received record numbers of calls this year.

The annual cost per child for Healthy Families is $1,700 vs. an estimated $64,000 annually to care for each abused child. This policy decision basically shifts expenses for future social services and typically ensures a heart-breaking legacy of broken families with mental health problems, alcohol and drug addictions, costing taxpayers millions over a lifetime. The Legislature also cut $5.4 million from Healthy Start, the program established by Gov. Lawton Chiles in 1991 to educate support prenatal care and early parenting support and to combat costly birth complications and infant mortality. Preventing just one low birth-weight baby saves $49,000 in medical costs in the first year of life alone.

Not only has the Florida Legislature slashed state funding for home visiting, it aslo has refused millions of federal dollars for home visiting. Even with an urgent and desperate need to restore funding for these prevention programs, the Florida Legislature and governor have rejected or left on the table more than $52 million in home-visiting grants -- more than the total state budget for home visiting. The Legislature rejected the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program because the monies come from the Affordable Care Act. The $52 million would have created an estimated 1,388 additional jobs and served more than 18,200 high-risk families.

Moreover, the Legislature’s refusal to participate will eliminate Florida from competing for multi-millions in early childhood and school grants. The domino effect on not participating in the federal home-visiting program disqualifies Florida from applying for many millions extra for schools. Florida would be eligible for $100 million over four years through the Race to the Top, a new federal initiative aimed at education innovation and reform to improve student achievement, high school graduation rates and closing achievement gaps.

This is throwing the baby out with the bath water. Florida’s children and families deserve so much better.

LIST OF FEDERAL HOME-VISITING MONIES FLORIDA HAS REJECTED OR LEFT ON THE TABLE