House committee hears testimony on bill to require parenting workshops for preschool enrollment

SAN JUAN — A House of Representatives committee held a public hearing May 30 on House Bill 654, which would create a mandatory “responsible parenting” education requirement for parents or guardians as a condition of enrolling a child in some public preschool programs and as part of hospital discharge procedures.

The bill’s author and the committee opened the hearing with expert and agency testimony about rising child maltreatment rates and international programs that the bill’s proponents said reduce risk. Dr. Juan Carlos Malavé Resach, a forensic sexologist and specialist in child maltreatment, told the committee that the measure aligns with development theories and international preventive programs and recommended adding modules on sexual-abuse indicators, staged follow-ups and a five- to 10-year impact evaluation. "La educación en la crianza no solo salva vidas, sino que construye ciudadanía, previene la violencia y refuerza el tejido social," Malavé said.

Carlos A. Rivera Otero, administrador auxiliar of the Administration for Families and Children (AFAN) at the Puerto Rico Department of the Family, described the department’s existing…