More than Kissing Babies: Current Child and Family Policy in the United States
Jacobs, Francine H. and Davies, Margery W. (eds.) (1994).
Westport, CT: Auburn House; 314 pages. $68.00. ISBN 0865692246.
Francine H. Jacobs and Margery W. Davies' More than Kissing Babies examines a wide range of topics relating to social policy topics using a multidisciplinary focus. It addresses five public policy questions: (a) Are policies child-centered or family-centered? (b) Do they provide families economic support or support for caregiving or preventive strategies? (c) Are they targeted or universal? (d) Do they promote treatment strategies or preventive strategies? (e) Do they suggest a preference for private solutions to family concerns or more public approaches?
This edited volume begins with an overview of family and child policy since 1980. The two following chapters cover in depth the issues of caring for children (in reference to productive and reproductive work) and dependent children (i.e., those defined as neglected or abused to the extent of removal from their families). The next six chapters present case studies centering on issues of the Family and Medical Leave Act, family support programs, homeless families, 'Baby Doe' regulations (i.e., life sustaining treatment of infants), AIDS education policy, and the Massachusetts Day Care Partnership Project. In the final two chapters, the editors address the issues of race, class, and gender regarding these policy issues and then project the direction of family and child policy in the decade of the 1990s.
Although More than Kissing Babies does have many strengths in the coverage of the topics presented, unfortunately it was published prior to the conservative political backlash now taking place in the federal government. It is very difficult these days to capture the “current” political trends in the United States as they relate to the family policy arena and then write a book that attempts to keep abreast of what the near future portends. In the book's introduction there is a prophetic statement that underscores the danger of not waiting five minutes to see if the political weather will change:
We are going to press at a fascinating moment in the development of policies for children and families in the United States. The federal government appears to be more interested in the well-being of children and families than it has been for over a decade (p.1).
This optimistic introduction was a result of the 1992 election of President Clinton and the resulting passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1992. But as of this writing, the country is again caught up in a new reality: the strains and pressures of reducing the federal deficit and the dramatic change in the profile of the United States Congress, which is more interested in fiscal austerity than restructuring the “Great Society” programs of decades past. In other words, despite the campaign platform of President Clinton in 1992, he now has to deal with a Senate and House of Representatives that will call for compromise and a “less is more” role for the federal government. In this context, it is important to keep in mind that Jacobs and Davies' More than Kissing Babies may already be the victim of the vicissitudes of American politics. Although the editors could not have predicted the conservative takeover that took place in the elections of last fall, it does make their book seem more outdated than its 1994 publication date would indicate. This presents the book's biggest weakness: it is not aligned with current political policies.
The coverage of the policy issues in a historical context is the strength of the book. Davies presents a fascinating and revealing reflection on reproductive and productive work in the United States. Here she sheds light on the complicated issues associated with child care as an industry. Other contributions likewise provide scholarly insight into their topics. Readers of Children's Environments may be particularly interested in the historical presentation of the various alternative placements (almshouses, orphanages, foster care) of young children taken from their families due to inadequate caregiving or the death of one or both parents. Similarly, chapters dedicated to homeless families and family support centers may be of interest to those whose primary interest is on family environments and associated policies. Jacobs and Davies also present a chapter highlighting the issues of race, class, and gender in child and family policy- something critical for analyzing public policy issues.
In conclusion, the title More than Kissing Babies emphasizes that any substantive national policy directed toward the well-being of children and their families needs to move beyond the rhetoric of superficial “sound bites” and opportunistic political speeches. As Marian Wright Edelman said at the 1995 Children's Defense Conference in reference to the changing political climate in the United States, “We are seeing 30 years of policies to protect children and families coming unraveled.” More than Kissing Babies could play an important role in educating individuals about the critical issues facing children and families, but it is already in need of a revised and updated edition as the United States begins to grapple seriously with both political and philosophical issues that relate to the role of government and social policy affecting children and their families into the next century.
Reviewer Information