How Well We Care For Our
Children Reflects What We As Minnesotans Value
By Jim Koppel, Director
Children's Defense Fund Minnesota
Ensuring opportunity for our
children is a core value in Minnesota. Minnesotans take great pride in
championing the health, safety and education of our children. However last
legislative session, votes cast by a substantial number of our lawmakers
were completely out of sync with what Minnesota values and what makes this
state great.
Minnesota began its 2003
legislative session with a new governor, many new legislators in both the
House and Senate, and a mandate to balance a whopping budget deficit of
$4.2 billion.
During this time the governor
was beholden to a no new tax pledge and the leadership of the House
appeared to be taking Minnesota in direction that would be devastating for
children and working families.
Because lawmakers were
constitutionally required to balance the state's budget, legislators had
to consider options including spending and revenue increases. Ultimately,
lawmakers along with Governor Tim Pawlenty, passed a state budget that
closed the budget gap without raising state taxes but relied primarily on
drastic spending cuts in state funded services.
Voting records reveal few
chose children
Every legislative session, Children's Defense Fund Action Council
ranks lawmakers on their voting records on children's issues. This year,
Minnesota legislators were scored on six key votes that had a significant
impact on children's well being. The votes included issues such as child
care, early education, health care and child safety.
Nearly half of all state
legislators scored a ZERO. Of the 201 lawmakers, 90 consistently cast
votes that were detrimental to Minnesota's children and families
throughout the legislative session. Nearly 90 lawmakers decided poor
children do not matter and that the 'tough love' or more precisely 'tough
luck' was the best solution. To view the 2003 Minnesota Legislative
Scorecard, visit
www.cdfactioncouncil.org
Handing out hardship
Nearly 38,000 kids and families will lose their health care coverage,
several thousand children will be denied access to early education
childhood programs, and several thousand at-risk kids will no longer have
safe havens such as after-school programs.
Our state's child care support
system was ranked second in the nation in 2002. However, the recent budget
cuts changed the eligibility standards lowering Minnesota's rank from
second to 30th resulting in hundreds of families losing their child care
support. We're now hovering below Mississippi in childcare eligibility
rankings; and Mississippi consistently ranks dead last in child well
being.
Minnesota has consistently
ranked number one on the overall well being of its children, which brings
great pride to Minnesotans. Ignoring the needs of our low-income
disadvantaged children is not only the immoral thing to do it will only
lead to more complicated and costly problems for taxpayers. A host of
research shows that early investment in children is the best return on
investment of taxpayer dollars. A recent study by the Federal Reserve of
Minneapolis stated that "the return on investment from early childhood
development is extraordinary, resulting in better working public schools,
more educated workers and less crime." Children who have a solid
foundation of learning and social-emotional interactions in their early
years are more likely to graduate from high school, are less likely to
need remedial education and welfare benefits, and are also less likely to
commit crimes. These benefits are most pronounced when early education
efforts target economically disadvantaged children.
Real Cuts, Real People,
Real Pain
CDF Minnesota and its child care colleagues have been hearing endless
amounts of stories of how the budget cuts are causing real pain to real
people. A recent story heard was a single, working mom with an eight-year
old daughter was laid off from her job, so she decided to go back to
school. She would improve her education to get a higher paying job.
However she soon learned she could not afford childcare and the waiting
list for childcare subsidies was too long, and she couldn't afford them
anyway. After reviewing all of her options, it became shockingly apparent
that going on welfare was her best option. By not going to school and not
working, and going on welfare (Minnesota Family Investment Program) she
would be guaranteed childcare and health care.
This is only one example of
the thousands of Minnesotans who are hurting across the state. It's
critical that we all speak out and hold our elected officials accountable
for the choices they made.
Contact your elected
officials by phone or mail
Write a Letter to the
Editor
Volunteer to help in
programs that benefit our kids
Tomorrow is now
Children cannot be saved by words alone. They can be saved by deeds.
They cannot be fed, housed, immunized, educated, or protected from neglect
and abuse by promises. They need adults who act right now to protect them
from fear, want, and sickness. They need adults who will speak by acting
to adequately invest in health care, quality preschool, public schools,
and after-school programs to ensure their safety today their future
tomorrow. Tomorrow is now.
