Summarize current laws and policies related to parenting.

Summary should include laws and policies concerned with

  • child support, paternity, visitation custody, and issues involving grandparents and extended family
  • public assistance for the basic needs of children: programs such as family leave, FMLA, Social Security, Medicaid, children’s health insurance, subsidized housing, and their eligibility features and limitations
  • employment conditions: flexible working hours, on-site childcare or childcare vouchers
  • community initiatives: neighborhood crime watch, childcare cooperatives, home improvement cooperatives
  • input of parent-driven organizations into legislation and public policy. 

Process/Skill Questions

Thinking

  • Why should parents work for change in the way families and society care for children?
  • What are some reasons grandparents raise their grandchildren?
  • What are some rewards and challenges associated with grandparents raising their grandchildren?
  • What will the future look like if society attacks issues of child poverty, abuse and neglect, and educational alternatives for children with special needs? What will the future look like if society does not?
  • What are the benefits and disadvantages of joining or forming groups to voice opinions on public and private policy?

Communication

  • What is the role of technology in improving the efficiency of agencies that collect child support?
  • What is the goal of laws that regulate economic assistance to parents and children?
  • What laws and policies are needed to support grandparents who are parenting their grandchildren?

Leadership

  • What leadership skills can be used to persuade employers, school boards, and community leaders to initiate change that benefits parents and children?
  • What is the role of licensing and regulation in the fields of early childhood education and services?
  • What action can be taken to reduce poverty among single-female headed families?

Management

  • How can parents take political action to benefit children and families?
  • What are some reliable sources of information about public and private policies and their influence on parenting?