Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Introduction: Parent education has a positive impact on children, parents, families, and the community. CHILDREN AT RISK and Bracewell & Giuliani LLP conducted a policy scan of state statutes regarding parent education. Methodology: To identify state statutes that address parent education, we conducted a search of statutes in all 50 states using keywords and the online legal research systems. After all state-level policies were ascertained, we selected the most relevant statutes to parent education and identified major themes. Results: The policy scan identified statutes regarding non-mandated parent education in 40 out of the 50 states. Common themes include: home visitation programs, funding through a Children’s Trust Fund, early childhood initiatives, use of evidence-based programs, and a community-based component to the parent education statute. Discussion: In a needs assessment of parent education in Houston, Texas, stigma and funding were identified as the biggest barriers to increasing the availability of parent education. Funding was addressed in a few state policies, but stigma was not addressed. While parent support programs have many demonstrated positive effects, the effect of the various mandated parent support strategies remains unproven. Conclusion: While most states have statutes regarding parent education, more evaluation and research is needed on how these policies are implemented and their measured impact on families in the state.
Language: English
Topic: Social Policies and Family
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W67766975