Bill Text: CA ACR14 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Positive Parenting Awareness Month.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 58-14)
Status: (Engrossed) 2025-01-29 - Introduced measure version corrected. [ACR14 Detail]
Download: California-2025-ACR14-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Concurrent Resolution
No. 14
| Introduced by Assembly Member Michelle Rodriguez |
January 14, 2025 |
Relative to Positive Parenting Awareness Month.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 14, as introduced, Michelle Rodriguez.
Positive Parenting Awareness Month.
This measure would designate January 2025 as Positive Parenting Awareness Month in California.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee: NOBill Text
WHEREAS, Raising children is sacred work and should matter to all of us; and
WHEREAS, The quality of caregiving, starting prenatally, is one of the most powerful predictors of children’s future social, emotional, physical, and behavioral health, and the well-being of those who are raising children should matter to all of us; and
WHEREAS, Despite how essential parenting is for the health of children and our collective society, there is at times a lack of value placed on parenting; and
WHEREAS, Families in California come in different dynamics, with children who are raised by parents, grandparents, foster parents, and family members, and supported by other caregivers in a variety of settings such as schools, family childcare, early childhood education centers, and health clinics; and
WHEREAS, The United States Surgeon General’s advisory, “Parents Under Pressure,” reports that 41 percent of parents and caregivers say they are so stressed they cannot function most days and that nearly 50 percent say their stress completely overwhelms them when compared to other adult groups; and
WHEREAS, According to the 2024 United States Surgeon General’s advisory on the mental health and well-being of parents, “we must recognize the importance of parenting and reflect it in how we prioritize resources, design policy, shape work environments, and approach our conversations with parents”; and
WHEREAS, Parenting impacts children’s brain development, neurological regulation, and risk for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance misuse in adulthood and according to the federal Centers for Disease Control, at least 5 of the top 10 leading causes of death are associated with ACEs. Further, toxic stress from ACEs can change brain development and affect how the body responds to stress; and
WHEREAS, Caregivers are working longer hours and childcare costs have soared beyond even some college tuition. In addition to these stressors, parents are also confronted with the surging youth mental health crisis, contending with threats outside of their control like school shootings, and grappling with the harms and risks of social media and technology; and
WHEREAS, Climate-related crises, the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic, and racial injustices have exacerbated economic insecurity, mental health challenges, and other trauma experienced by many families, particularly Black, indigenous, Latiné, Asian, and other families of color that already experience inequities rooted in structural racism; and
WHEREAS, The removal of supports related to the pandemic has deepened challenges across the state; and
WHEREAS, Positive parenting is a protective factor that strengthens family relationships, increases parents’ confidence, and drives children’s social, emotional, and relational health and development; and
WHEREAS, Research confirms that positive parenting creates positive childhood experiences, and children and youth who experience safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments learn empathy, impulse control, anger management, communication, and problem-solving skills that help protect against interpersonal, family, and community violence. Preventing ACEs could reduce the number of adults with depression by as much as 44 percent; and
WHEREAS, Through our individual actions and with the support of community groups, schools, faith organizations, employers, health and social service systems, and policymakers, we can create opportunities for parents to come together and build communities of mutual care and connection and intentionally strengthen parental well-being; and
WHEREAS, Research echoes the importance of early intervention with roughly 30 percent of California caregivers reporting moderate concerns over their child’s social and emotional development and behavioral health, and 20 to 40 percent, inclusive, of those same caregivers reporting engaging in some ineffective type of parenting; and
WHEREAS, There is an opportunity to accelerate the progress of programs that currently operate at a subscale throughout California. Families can benefit from a toolkit of proven strategies and receive support from various positive parenting programs in many counties and tribes through numerous organizations and individual practitioners; and
WHEREAS, The Governor’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health highlights investments to address urgent mental health supports for children and youth, especially in underserved and marginalized communities, and creates an inclusive framework for supporting prevention and early intervention of mental health challenges, including the importance of providing more resources for parents to build their knowledge, tools, and capacity to support the behavioral health of their children; and
WHEREAS, Counties may implement and encourage positive parenting through a population health approach so that all families have equitable opportunities to access information and support in ways that leverage their unique beliefs, traditions, customs, interests, and racial, ethnic, tribal, and cultural practices; and
WHEREAS, The Governor, Legislature, and counties should help build stronger family support networks and prioritize them in budgetary decisions. The state should highlight the importance of parenting by continuing to support and fund these essential resources, while also recognizing that caregivers need care and support as well; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature declares the month of January 2025 as Positive Parenting Awareness Month in California; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
