More information from Save the Children: Children in the US

‘Save the Children’ has many programs that promote the well-being of children throughout the world. Their programs focus on addressing issues specific to individual regions and communities. As an early childhood professional, I think it is important for me to not only have an understanding of the issues that are affecting children throughout the world but more importantly issues here at home in the United States. The section ‘US Programs’ on the Save the Children website highlights growing poverty as the main issue affecting children in the US today. Their programs seek to address the issues that result from poverty. They focus mainly on improving children’s health, increasing literacy, increasing school readiness and influencing policy. Each section provides statistics on the effects of poverty and what is being done to address it. With poverty growing in many communities at an alarming rate, as an early childhood professional, I think it is essential for me to have an understanding of how poverty is affecting children and families within my own community and how best to support them. In addition, this knowledge will help me advocate for and support local programs that strive to address these issues. 

 While reading about their US programs, I realized that the issues they seek to address are consequences of poverty. One area they address is improving the health of children in poverty – particularly tackling the issue of childhood obesity. As the website itself pointed out a question in my mind has been ‘How can a child in poverty be obese?’ It is not a question I had given much thought to but still wondered about it. The website put me in my place. They pointed out that it is result of parents having to make a choice between having no food at all and feeding their children cheap unhealthy food. According to the website, more than 23 million children in the US are obese and 59% of children living in areas that are supported by Save the Children have no access to fresh healthy food and in some areas it is as high as 98%. I realized that while many of us take access to healthy food for granted and our knowledge about healthy food choices and the importance of being active as common sense, it may not be so many children and families. I read of a child in Kentucky who was used to snacking on candy that realized how much she likes cucumber when she ate if for the first time through the Save the Children Healthy Choices Program!

In the US Programs, Policy section of the website, Save the Children points that politicians and policymakers are not doing nearly enough to address the issue of poverty currently affecting 16 million children in the US today. They point out that while building a strong America and strengthening the economy are at the center of discussion, children in poverty are being left out of the conversation. A report commissioned by former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Sen. Casey (D-PA) and produced by Save the Children and First Focus (a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions), titled ‘America's Report Card 2012: Children in the U.S.’ gave the US a ‘C minus’ on child well-being. According to the report, many politicians like to be seen as being supportive of prioritizing children but fail to act on it. The report came out last October right before the November elections and the report included a plea for the American people to choose candidates who would support investing in children, hold elected officials accountable for commitments to help children succeed; and engage with other local leaders to improve the lives of children in their own communities.

The Save the Children website gave me an understanding of the gravity of the issue of poverty here at home in the United States. I was aware that poverty was an issue but not to the depth outlined by them. It was disheartening to read about the consequences of poverty for children and families and the rate at which they are affected and as a result how communities and the country as a whole are affected. The future of our country; our children is at stake. Isn’t it time that politicians and policymakers took action?

America's Report Card 2012: Children in the U.S (This report provides a holistic picture of unmet needs in five areas of a child's life: economic security, early childhood education, K-12 education, permanence and stability, and health and safety)

Retrieved from: http://www.firstfocus.net/library/reports/americas-report-card-2012-children-in-the-us