§ 42-72.3-2. Legislative declaration. The general assembly finds and declares that:

(1) In 1986 twenty-one (21) Rhode Island children were born to mothers under the age of fifteen (15), fifty-nine (59) children to mothers age fifteen (15), one hundred eighteen (118) children to mothers age sixteen (16), and two hundred seventy (270) children to mothers age seventeen (17); and

(2) Each year in Rhode Island, one in four (4) infants, or over three thousand (3,000), are born into poverty; and

(3) An insightful 1986 report, "Investing in our children" by the committee for economic development, has concluded:

"The seeds of educational failure are planted early. Children who are born into poverty or overly stressful circumstances often suffer from a wide variety of physical and emotional problems that can delay normal social and intellectual development or impair their ability to function effectively.

The patterns of behavior that lead to school failure and dropping out begin to appear during infancy and the toddler years. Without early intervention, these children will have difficulty taking advantage of the learning opportunities available in elementary and secondary school. It is therefore likely that many otherwise bright children will have their talents lost to themselves and society"; and

(4) Most recent Rhode Island initiatives have been targeted at the pre-school and school-age population, and have not addressed the pressing needs of at-risk infants and toddlers and their families; and

(5) Rhode Island must provide the earliest possible intervention with at-risk children for reasons both of compassion and cost-effectiveness.

History of Section. (P.L. 1989, ch. 309, § 1.)