Actress Jennifer Garner was joined on stage with former Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), First Focus President Bruce Lesley, and Save the Children Senior Vice President Mark Shriver on Wednesday, October 10th for the release of America’s Report Card 2012: Children in the United States, a national report card issued by First Focus and Save the Children that grades America on how well it meets the needs of our children. There are great resources available that measure the well-being of children, such as Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Book and the Foundation for Child Development’s Child Well-Being Index. America’s Report Card takes that data, along with other sources, and assigns a grade with the intention of sending a message loud and clear – we are not doing enough to meet the needs of children in the U.S. We grade children in school all the time; now it is our turn to be graded on how we are meeting their needs.
To inform the content of the report card, First Focus and Save the Children convened an advisory board of experts across different fields, including:
Sandra Bishop-Josef, former Assistant Director of the Edward Zigler Center in Child Development and
Social Policy, Yale University School of Medicine
Melissa Boteach, Director of Half in Ten Campaign at Center for American Progress Action Fund
Olivia Golden, Institute Fellow, The Urban Institute
Holly Grason, Associate Professor, Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, John
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Julia Isaacs, Senior Fellow, Labor, Human Services and Population Center, The Urban Institute
Dennis Johnson, Executive VP of Policy and Advocacy, Children’s Health Fund
Mary Kusler, Manager of Federal Advocacy, National Education Association
This board found that America earns an overall grade of C-, which by our academic standards is barely passing. This reflects the view of a majority of American voters who believe that for the first time the lives of children will be worse off than their parents. To calculate the C-, America’s Report Card graded five key issue areas that affect children’s overall well-being:
- Economic Security: D
- Early Education: C-
- K-12 Education: C-
- Permanency & Stability: D
- Health & Safety: C+
However, there is good news. America scores its highest grade in Health & Safety, earning a C+. This grade was calculated based on factors involving children’s health insurance coverage, access to health care and preventive services, access to medical treatment, and environmental health. But even though we have made significant strides when it comes to children’s health and safety in the U.S., improvement is still needed.
The biggest win for American children comes from the success of increasing children’s health coverage. In 2011, 90.6 percent of children were covered by some form of health insurance. Since employer health coverage for children has actually decreased, this win is mainly credited to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Together, these programs help ensure that all children, regardless of their economic status, are covered. However, children living in poverty and children of color tend to have less health coverage and the children of immigrants face significant barriers when seeking health coverage.
Although a large percentage of children have access to health coverage, it does not mean that all children are receiving the care that they need. The largest gaps exist with regards to children’s oral health, preventive health services, and services in specialized areas such as mental health. To illustrate this, in 2010 about 4.3 million children ages 2-17 had unmet dental needs because their families could not afford dental care. There are steps being taken to combat these gaps; for example, the Affordable Care Act helps increase preventive services by requiring insurers to cover comprehensive screenings and preventive care for children as defined by the American Academy of Pediatrics “Bright Futures” standards. Initiatives such as these work to increase health care access for all children.
When it comes to the overall state of children’s health, there are also public health concerns. The obesity epidemic among American children is reaching alarming rates: currently, one-in-three children in the United States are overweight or obese. These children are more likely to suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and asthma during their lifetime. In addition, the United States currently ranks 29th in infant mortality rates among industrialized nations. Some programs, such as Healthy Start and the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Visitation Program, work to educate new mothers and families on prenatal and infant care. These programs work to reduce the infant mortality rate and also help to improve the overall health of mothers and children.
Additionally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 500,000 children ages 1-5 have dangerous blood-lead levels. This could come from exposure to lead-based paint or drinking water from lead pipes. Lead exposure can damage children’s intellectual development and physical health, which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children ages 0-6 be tested for blood-lead levels. Environmental hazards such as air pollution and secondhand tobacco smoke can affect a child’s respiratory system. In 2010, 67 percent of children lived in counties with pollutant concentrations exceeding one or more air quality standards of the Clean Air Act, which is one factor responsible for the increasing rates of childhood asthma in America today.
America’s Report Card 2012: Children in the U.S. provides a holistic view of the well-being of children in the U.S. As it indicates, the highest grade for the overall state of children’s well-being fell within Health & Safety. This reflects the work of numerous advocates who worked to strengthen health coverage for children in America, regardless of a child’s age, race, or socioeconomic status. In order to raise the grade even further, we need more voices to advocate on behalf of children’s health, especially in the areas of public health and environmental health. If improvements in these areas can be made, then maybe we can raise the grade even higher.
