WHEREAS, Prepare Tomorrow’s Parents has created "Prepare Tomorrow's Parents Month" to: honor and celebrate parents; acknowledge the skills, knowledge, time, and responsibility required daily for effective parenting; to raise public awareness of the need for maturity and preparation for this important job; and to ask and provide resources for everyone who has regular contact with children to do at least one activity this month to foster parenting and nurturing skills;

WHEREAS, changes in American life have increased parents' challenges while greatly reducing or diminishing young people's opportunities to learn effective parenting practices by observing and participating in family life;

WHEREAS, over 80 percent of Americans become parents, but few are prepared this critical role: recent studies confirm that most have serious gaps in the attitudes, knowledge, and skills required to ensure that their children thrive physically, emotionally, and cognitively;

WHEREAS, early experiences shape a child’s brain, impacting overall potential for learning, relationships and mental health, and inadequate parenting has been plainly implicated in academic failure, depression, addictions, teen pregnancy, delinquency and violent behavior;

WHEREAS, lack of parenting capacity and skills is a known major contributor to the yearly abuse and neglect reports on three million U.S. children (and all those for whom reports are not filed);

WHEREAS, abused children are far more likely to become involved in youth and adult violence and to pass abuse, neglect and violence on to following generations;

WHEREAS, half a million U.S. teens give birth each year, and our country leads the developed world in teen parenthood, while understanding the responsibilities and demands of effective parenting helps teens postpone this role until they are mature and ready;

WHEREAS, Parenting Education for young people in home, schools, and youth programs helps prevent child abuse by developing empathy, listening, problem-solving and coping skills, and an understanding of child development and appropriate discipline;

WHEREAS, Parenting Education for young people helps create more caring, cooperative and non-violent classrooms;

WHEREAS, a national poll found that the vast majority of adults in the U.S. supports Parenting Education for young people in schools;

WHEREAS, all of ____'s children deserve fathers and mothers who are prepared to be present, engaged, nurturing and effective;

NOW, THEREFORE, I/we, ________________ hereby proclaim the period from Mothers Day (May 13) through Fathers Day (June 17), as

PREPARE TOMORROW'S PARENTS MONTH

and commend this observance to the people of this ________________________.

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