Are children going to have to pay for the economic mistakes of grown-ups?

Posted on 07/21/2011 @ 04:11 PM

In today's HuffPost Education, First Focus President Bruce Lesley wrote an article about how children are fairing in the face of major budget cuts. In Getting Back to Basics for Our Nation's Children, Lesley refers to two important but disturbing reports released today at the third annual Children's Budget Summit hosted by his organization, First Focus.

Children's Budget 2011 by First Focus and Kid's Share 2011 by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute reveal how the "share of federal funding for children dropped by nearly 10 percent in 2011 and will continue on a sharp downward trajectory."

This alarming trend may have devastating effects on the nation's children. As Lesley puts it, "There is no question that tough times call for tough measures, but reducing spending on child health, education and early childhood, child nutrition, and foster care supports is not the way to solve our budget and deficit problems, particularly since the recent recession has had a devastating impact on families with children."

The state of Florida already faces an overwhelming unmet need for quality early care and education vital to a child's preparedness for school and lifelong success. The Children's Movement of Florida works daily toward and is focused on changing the current mindset.

Click here to read the full article.