Issues

It is the vision of Voices for America’s Children that public policies at all levels of government—local, state and federal—must further the positive and healthy development of all children in America Developing the policies needed to achieve this vision must be seen as a top priority and recognized as fundamental to America’s future growth and vitality.

To achieve this vision requires that:

EQUITY AND DIVERSITY: All children achieve their full potential in a society that closes opportunity gaps and recognizes and values diversity

• Explicit and concerted efforts to address child health, education, justice, and other disparities by race, ethnicity, national origin, language, sexual orientation, disability, and income
• Multi-cultural approaches to policy design and implementation
• Policies regarding immigrant and refugee children that meet their health, safety, education, and developmental needs
• Workforce strategies that develop culturally diverse and competent professionals in systems serving children and families

HEALTH: All children receive affordable, comprehensive, high-quality health care

• Health insurance coverage regardless of where children live or their economic circumstance
• Comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care
• Mental, dental, vision, and nutrition services as part of that comprehensive coverage
• Primary, preventive, and developmental health care services
• A continuing and regular source of primary care (medical home) that knows the child and family and provides information and guidance to parents and responds to social, emotional, and developmental needs
• Effective coordination with and referrals to other services needed to address children’s identified developmental and social as well as medical concerns
• Public health programs that support children’s healthy development

SCHOOL READINESS: All children and their parents receive the services and supports to enable them to start school prepared for success

• Parent education and family support programs designed to improve the confidence and competency of all parents and support them in their role as their children’s first and most important teachers
• Dedicated supports for programs serving infants and toddlers designed to best meet their developmental needs
• Access to high quality, affordable child care for all children
• High quality pre-kindergarten for all three and four-year olds
• A highly qualified and appropriately compensated early childhood workforce
• Family and medical leave
• Early intervention (Part C) services that identify and address developmental delays that allow for continued educational development
• Programs, services and aligned standards to ensure smooth transitions into kindergarten and elementary school

SCHOOL SUCCESS: All children have an equal opportunity to attend an adequately and equitably financed public school meeting rigorous academic standards aligned with the needs of the 21^st century workforce

• Adequate and equitable financing for all public schools
• Highly qualified teachers prepared and motivated to teach all children regardless of their ability and background
• Individualized educational opportunities to meet children’s special education needs
• Attendance at schools that utilize research based strategies such as full-day kindergarten and small class size to improve student achievement
• Early detection and remediation for struggling students to prevent school failure and reduce school dropouts
• Strong education and career guidance
• Schools that are part of their communities and take a whole child focus meeting not only children’s cognitive needs but their physical, behavioral, and emotional development
• After school and youth development programs that meet youth needs and provide them with an opportunity to explore careers and participate in work based learning opportunities
• Re-engagement strategies for out-of-school youth to help them take the steps necessary to complete their high school education

SAFETY: All children are safe in their homes and communities from all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence, avoid risky behaviors, and contribute to community well-being

• Strength-based child and family services focused on prevention
• Child welfare services that preserve families, where possible, and address children’s social, developmental, and educational as well as safety needs
• High quality foster care and other placement services that address the needs of foster children (including children’s mental health and developmental needs that are the consequence of maltreatment), reunify children where possible, and establish and sustain bonds with caring adults and other mentors
• Adoption services that provide permanent homes for children and continue to meet their special needs through post-adoption services
• Transition plans and services that meet the needs of youth as they grow into adulthood and “age out” of child welfare and juvenile justice systems
• Commitments within all child-serving systems to ensuring that the needs of children for permanent relationships with caring adults are fostered and maintained
• Youth development programs and opportunities that build resiliency, strengthen community involvement and prepare youth for adulthood
• Juvenile justice approaches with a restorative community justice emphasis
• Substance abuse and mental health treatments that are based upon effective models positively impacting children, youth and families
• Laws that protect children and families from serious harm and injury caused by prevalence of hand guns and unsafe storage of firearms

ECONOMIC STABILITY: All children live in families that can provide for their needs and make investments in their future

• Tax and economic policies that enable working families to have sufficient income to raise their children (EITC, minimum wage, and other income policies)
• Initiatives that enable families to invest in themselves and their children’s development (IDAs, children’s trust funds, affordable higher education and post-secondary training opportunities)
• Family support policies that allow families to meet basic health and living needs (health care, child care subsidies, affordable housing, TANF, SSI, Food Stamps, WIC)