Chicago, IL
"Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Children" is a national effort to promote parental engagement as a simple, effective way to reduce youth substance-abuse risk and raise healthier children. Family Day is meant to emphasize the importance of regular family activities as a way to facilitate parent-child communication and encourage Americans to make family dinners a regular feature of their lives.
Since 1996, research by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has shown a strong connection between regular family meals and less use of drugs and alcohol by children and teenagers.
Governors in many states have already endorsed September 23, 2002, as "Family Day" and have encouraged families in these states to come together for a meal with their children.
America's working families, especially those where both parents work, and single-parent families are often least likely to be able to have regular family meals. Former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Joe Califano, now Chairman and President of CASA, is leading an effort to expand this important event.
The AFL-CIO supports this initiative and urges national union affiliates to publicize it with their members. We urge employers to release workers an hour early on Family Day, in time to eat dinner with their families. We urge all AFL-CIO members to consider making "Family Day" on September 23rd a special family event.