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How are the Children? Five Action Areas to Promote Healthy Communities

How are the Children? Five Action Areas to Promote Healthy Communities Luanne Nyberg, Senior Policy Analyst Hennepin County Minh Ta, Legislative Director Children’s Defense Fund Minnesota Poverty = Health Disparities Poor children in the US Low Birth Weight - 2x more likely

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How are the Children? Five Action Areas to Promote Healthy Communities

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  1. How are the Children? Five Action Areas to Promote Healthy Communities Luanne Nyberg, Senior Policy Analyst Hennepin County Minh Ta, Legislative Director Children’s Defense Fund Minnesota

  2. Poverty = Health Disparities Poor children in the US • Low Birth Weight - 2x more likely • No regular source of health care: 3x more likely • Too little food: 8x more likely

  3. US Tax Cuts Enacted in 2002 Could Pay for: • Health coverage for all US children • Housing vouchers for 3.6 million children in families at risk of homelessness • Food stamps for 10 million families with children

  4. Minnesota’s Care for Children is Eroding • 1 in 10 children get food support • 1 in 4 school kids lives at less than 185% of poverty (gross less than $28,300/yr. for 3 person family) • 1 school transfer per 7 kids/yr. • 1 in 5 do not finish high school on time

  5. “No New Taxes” Policy Hurts Children Cuts include • Child Care • Children’s Health Care • After School Programs • Teachers

  6. Where does the US Rank Among Nations? • 1st in military expenditures • 1st in children experiencing gun violence • 12th in % of children in poverty • 17th in low birthweight babies • 23rd in infant mortality

  7. Doing Right by Children Costs Pennies Per citizen, it would cost: • 2 cents/day to vaccinate all children under 2 • 14 cents/day to insure all kids • 26 cents/day to provide child care subsidies to all needy families and increase quality

  8. Take Action: Understand Local Child Trends How many kids in your County are • uninsured? • low income? • Into drugs, tobacco or alcohol? • not graduating on time? What direction are things going? www.cdf-mn.org/kidscount/html

  9. Take Action: Know how “your” Politicians VOTE • Children can’t eat promises, be sheltered by photo-ops or get health care through compassion speeches • Check voting records of your representatives and hold them accountable www.cdfactioncouncil.org/mndel2001/htm www.cdfactioncouncil.org/CDF_scorecardMN.02.pdf

  10. Take Action: Organize a Local Coalition for Kids • Civil Rights, Women’s Right to Vote movements began with local groups that then allied with others • Strength and support in numbers • Wide range of groups shows broad support www.aecf.org/rci/

  11. Take Action: Build Local Assets for Kids • Developmental assets help children choose positive paths • 40 assets identified • Anyone/Everyone can help provide community assets for children www.search-institute.org/assets/

  12. Take Action: Kids need Justice, not Charity All children have a right to • enough food • stable housing • health care • quality education Social Justice must be as high a priority as Homeland Security www.mpha.net www.cdf-mn.org

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