Dean unveils $200 million 'Welcome Baby' visits [View All]

By SAM YOUNGMAN
PoliticsNH.com

HOOKSETT, Oct. 7  -- Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean unveiled the first phase of his an early childhood development proposal while visiting with child care workers and children at the Child and Family Development Center at the New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord.

The first part, called “Welcome Baby” visits, would expand nationwide a program Dean implemented while'serving in Vermont. "Success by Six" allows for visits to new parents from an agency worker in the hospital or their home.

The program depends largely on community involvement, Dean said, to ensure that children are connected to the community from the onset to ensure early childhood success and ensure kids have a “better chance of going to college than they have of going to prison.”

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The program would allow for federal grants to individuals and organizations that support the initiative and participate in the home visit program by providing nutrition information and getting parents into the local medical and school communities, Dean said, at a cost of $200 million a year.

“That is significantly less than what we spend in one day in Iraq,” he told an applauding crowd.

http://www.politicsnh.com/archives/pindell/2003/october/10_7DeanECE.shtml