Now, doesn't THAT sound like something we can support! But don't be fooled by what sounds like a homeschool friendly title.
The bipartisan "Education Begins at Home Act" was introduced by Senators Bond (R-MO) and Clinton (D-NY) in the Senate (S. 667), and Representatives Davis (D-IL) and Platts (R-PA) in the House (H. R. 2343), and would provide grants to help establish or expand voluntary home visiting programs for families with young children. It has been kicking around for several years and been stuck in committees, but was recently revived and is back under consideration.
Unfortunately, you don't even have to look at the fine print to know that this is another shameless power grab designed to wrest away control from parents and give it to government hacks.
H. R. 2343 To expand quality programs of early childhood home visitation that increase school readiness, child abuse and neglect prevention, and early identification of developmental and health delays, including potential mental health concerns, and for other purposes.
How could anyone be against "child abuse and neglect prevention" or any of those other high sounding goals? But let's take a closer look at that last clause.
Potential mental health concerns? As decided by whom? In practice, this will mean government officials will "voluntarily" visit hospitals and homes to promote an agenda that may be diametrically opposed to that of the people they intend to "serve." The program stresses that the visits are "voluntary," at least initially.
Kind of like the "voluntary" Income Tax. What began as voluntary now uses the full force of the State to intimidate taxpayers into compliance.
So, if some bureaucrat determines that your child "needs" medication, or some kind of other "mental health" treatment, will you be allowed to object?
******URGENT UPDATE******
HSLDA has issued an ACTION ALERT requesting that you call your U.S. Representative today and urge him to oppose H. R. 2343, The Education Begins at Home Act.
It is not necessary to identify yourself as a homeschooler. You can say something as simple as the following:
“I am a constituent and I strongly oppose H.R. 2343. The government should not be involved in funding questionable early education programs, especially at a time of financial uncertainty when our hard-earned tax dollars could be better spent elsewhere.”
You can reach your U.S. representative by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, or by using our Legislative Toolbox.
This bill has been placed on the House calendar and could come up for a vote anytime this week, or even during the weekend as Congress rushes to finish legislative priorities before they adjourn.
You can find the complete article at Moms In the Right.
Susan Critelli is a veteran homeschooling Mom of 2 great kids and a successful Home Schooling entrepreneur. She blogs regularly about other homeschooling topics at Mixing Home Business & Homeschooling and is a regular contributor at Moms In the Right.
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Oh my goodness! I am absolutely fuming right now, I'm so tired of every time I turn around my rights are being taken away. Rights that my family along with many others have fought for. I'm passing this on to everyone I know. Thank you sooo much for posting this!
Pleased to be able to be of service. It is maddening to see all the ways they are trying to slither into our homes, and I am grateful that there are lawyers keeping track of how these issues affect homeschooling. What a shame that we have to be so suspicious. Ah, well, as Jefferson said, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
Thanks for your comments.
Thanks for posting about this. It's scary!
Wow, thanks for letting me know about this. I don't keep up on TV/news…it's so full of negativity and profanity. I just met up with 2 other homeschooling families at the library yesterday and we were discussing our thoughts on how sad it is that "Creationism" isn't taught in schools, just "evolution." It shouldn't be the governments choice, but parents whose religious faith guides them in these areas.
The Education Begins at Home Act is primarily for those families who have been involved in perpetual cycles of abuse and need an adovcate or help to prevent these cycles from occuring in future generations. Because our society is not activitely preventing child abuse and neglect, the government has decided to step in and impose prevention. Three million children are abused EVERY year. Something has to be done. Open your eyes and stop being so ignorant.
Lauren, I can appreciate your concern for abused children, and it saddens me that so many of these children fall through the cracks of the social services system. Even one abused child is too many.
But the government has a history of expanding "voluntary" programs and eventually making them mandatory. I don't believe subjecting the parents of the 70-75 million children who are NOT being abused to additional government regulation and investigation is the way to handle this problem.
I stand by my opposition to this bill. It has not been entered into lightly, or "in ignorance", as you suppose.
I completely agree.
We need to stand up and demand that this attempt to take away the fundamental right of all Americans to be ignorant of anything that might potentially keep our children safe.
God forbid that the GOVERNMENT tell us anything that we haven't already decided would be useful.
AND DON'T STOP WITH THE GOVERNMENT. Burn ALL those baby books. Rip out ANY article from a parenting magazine that trys to tell you something you don't already know to be true. Everyone knows those magazines come in the US MAIL – a GOVERNMENT agency!
AND DON'T TRUST any other parent who thinks they know more than YOU do about YOUR baby. They could be one of those doctors, nurses or parenting educators IN DISGUISE to spread more information, trying to break down YOUR protective barrier against any information that you don't already know.
Sure, they START with innocent "tips", but the next thing you know they actually start offering evidence that they says EXPLAINS early childhood development. They next thing they're trying to do is convince YOU that THEY know more than YOU about the SCIENCE of early brain development.
AND don't let ANYONE try to confuse YOU about the difference between "eternal vigilance" and paranoia. If YOU believe it, it must be TRUE.
PLEASE forward this important inforation to everyone in the WORLD!!!!
WE have to stop THEM. NOW!!!
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
–From Hamlet (III, ii, 239)
i.e. One objects so much as to lose credibility.
Home visitation is an effective, research-based and cost-efficient way to bring families and resources together to ensure that children grow up healthy and ready to learn.
Let's NOT stop this attempt to ensure families are receiving the most appropriate services to meet their needs.
Let's NOT stop this attempt to provide guidance on how parents can enhance their children’s development from birth through kindergarten entry.
Thank you for reading.
I take it you are not a homeschooler, and are not accustomed to being marginalized and ridiculed, or been the target of endless ploys designed to bring your children into the public schools, or be otherwise monitored and regulated to ensure that they don't subscribe to any of the foolish, antiquated notions they might be taught by their parents.
Geolith and Hamlet, it is clear that nothing either of us says will make any headway towards "convincing" the other. And that is OK – "agreeing to disagree" and allowing or even encouraging "dissenting speech" is the legacy of freedom of expression that I taught my children.
You apparently agree with the concept of your tax dollars used tofund a program that will empower a government bureaucrat who doesn't know your child from a hole in the ground to come into your home to tell you how to raise him.
I do not.
My children are grown, and this really doesn't affect me any more – but it will affect my grandchildren should I be so blessed. And it does affect those homeschooling moms and dads who have risen up behind me over the last twenty years, who want to fulfill the Biblical mandate to raise our children "in the fear and admonition of the Lord," a concept considered alien and dangerous in this political climate where both homeschool and Christian groups can both be found on lists of potential domestic terrorist groups.
I refer to you the articles elsewhere on the site about the German solution to homeschooling. The same can happen here. Particularly now (Feb 2009) that Sen. Boxer of California is trying to have the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child reconsidered. Though I am sure that for all the same reasons, I consider that a problem and you do not.
Thank you again for your comments. I stand by my opposition to this bill.