WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Mike Carey (OH-15) and John Larson (CT-01) announced the introduction of their Promoting Community-Based Prevention Services Act. The bill allows states greater flexibility in their allocation of funds to Family Resource Centers.
“When parents feel supported, families thrive.” said Carey. “Family Resource Centers can guide families through a lifetime of challenges and milestones. We are proud to help guarantee these resources can be available in every community across the country, for every family who might need them.”
“When I served in the Connecticut State Senate, I worked with Dr. Edward Zigler, the father of Head Start, to establish Family Resource Centers in the State of Connecticut so working parents could have access to reliable childcare at their children’s school and get connected with the resources they need to thrive,” said Larson. “I am proud to introduce the Promoting Community Based Prevention Services Act with Rep. Carey today to create a pathway for FRCs, which serve 13,000 individuals in Connecticut annually, to directly receive federal funding to support the services they provide for families and communities.”
Family resource centers (FRCs) provide community-driven services and spaces at no cost to the families who use them. FRC offerings range from mental health and substance abuse programs to parenting classes, screening for developmental delays and early childhood education.
The efficacy of FRCs has been demonstrated in studies across the nation, ranging from a 45 percent reduction in cases of child abuse and neglect in Alachua County, Florida to a 20 percent increase in Massachusetts parents’ reporting on their ability to keep their children safe from abuse. FRCs also have a substantial return on investment: in Alabama, every dollar spent on FRCs brought a $4.70 return to the state.
Since FRCs fulfill a wide variety of purposes, their funding comes from disparate resources. Title IV-B Part 2 of the Social Security Act, or the Promoting Safe and Stable Families block grant, is a major source of funding for FRCs. It includes four major service priorities, each receiving 20 percent of the block grant’s total funding: Family preservation, family support, reunification and adoption support.
Presently, FRCs receive funding under whichever service category fits their mission most appropriately. The Promoting Community-Based Prevention Services Act would allow FRCs to be funded using portions of the remaining 20 percent of the block grant, increasing the funds available to FRCs and the states’ flexibility in offering those funds.
Full text of the Promoting Community-Based Prevention Services Act is available here.