FAMILY AND HOME NETWORK

Description

Family and Home Network, founded in 1984, listens to parents, offering connection, resources and advocacy so that all parents are equitably supported by family policies. We focus especially on the experiences of at-home mothers and fathers, those who cut back to part-time employment or tag team (alternating employment/caregiving hours with their spouse or other family members), and parents who would prefer to spend more time with their children. We offer affirmation for parents spending time at home with children, regarding the potential for personal growth and learning, the value of "labors of love" which cannot be measured in terms of the marketplace, and opportunities to build skills for reentering the paid workforce after a few-or many-years at home. We offer information about 21 st century developmental science on the needs of parents, infants and young children, and information on resources for family life. We offer advocacy: FAHN participates in media, cultural and political conversations about families. We are informed about data, knowledgeable about misconceptions and alert to the influence of special interests. With our Campaign for Inclusive Family Policies, we call for a paradigm shift in family policymaking: instead of family policies crafted to meet the needs of working families, family policies will abide by fundamental principles of inclusion, supporting all families.