U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, (R-MI) received the Champion of Children Award from the Michigan members of Fight Crime, Invest in Kids, Ready Nation and Shepherding the Next Generation earlier this week.
The award honors state and federal lawmakers who helped pass early childhood home visiting program legislation, benefiting at-risk children and their families.
“We all want to keep kids out of the courtroom,” Upton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said. “There truly is nothing more important than to make sure our kids are safe. We should be investing in our kids and making sure they don’t get in trouble in the first place. Solving these sorts of problems before they get to be big problems is a no-brainer, and I’m proud to support it.”
Upton was selected for the award due to his strong support for the creation and passage of the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting program (MIECHV), which was launched in 2010 and reauthorized last year.
The MIECHV program was designed to provide training for pregnant women and new parents in order to promote healthy development of their newborns, prevent child abuse and neglect, and improve school readiness and family self-sufficiency. The training is provided by nurses, social workers and child development specialists.