For children's sake

On Wednesday, some 1,700 people braved a powerful rainstorm in Miami to attend a ``Milk Party'' rally in support of the recently formed Children's Movement of Florida, which aims to bring attention to the plight of the youngest and most neglected residents of this state.

Forget the bitter political environment -- this is a noble cause that everyone in Florida, regardless of party or political inclination, can support because, heaven knows, the children of Florida need help.

By practically every significant measure of children's needs, this state consistently ranks among the lowest in the union, often close to last.

• Almost 800,000 children, nearly one out of five, does not have health insurance, double the national average. Florida ranks 49th in the nation in the percentage of uninsured children.
• When uninsured children in this state are finally able to enter a hospital, they are 1.5 times more likely to die than insured children.
• Florida ranks 47th in the percentage of women receiving prenatal care in the first trimester.
• Florida has a high rate of child abuse -- 29.6 cases per thousand children, more than double the national rate.

The depressing list goes on. The state's pre-kindergarten program, which ranks 34th among 38 states in per-pupil funding, fails to meet most of the national standards. Funding for once-promising mentoring programs has been slashed.

The organizers of the ``Milk Party,'' a takeoff on the Tea Party, are betting that the people of Florida are fed up and ready to do something about it. The turnout on Wednesday, and at earlier rallies around the state, suggests they're right.

It's not merely a matter of helping children, but of creating a better future for Florida. Improved care for children results in increased school achievement and graduation rates, reduced crime (and less money spent for incarceration), and fewer costs to the public for hospitalization, insurance and other needs. The ultimate result is a stronger economy.

David Lawrence Jr., president and co-chair of The Children's Movement of Florida, has worked as an advocate for children ever since he retired as publisher of The Miami Herald in 1999. Mr. Lawrence, founding chair of The Children's Trust, is not known as a man of mild enthusiasms, but on the topic of children he can be positively messianic.

Reviewing the needs of Florida's littlest, he describes the situation as ``sad, even sinful.'' He and co-chair Roberto Martinez, a member of the state's Education Board and former U.S. attorney, have put together an impressive steering committee with leaders drawn from across the state and with distinctly different political orientations.

They are determined to make children the state's highest priority. ``We are in it for the long term,'' says Mr. Lawrence, but he believes ``measureable progress'' is possible in the near term. They have identified five basic areas for improvement: getting better access to healthcare; screening and treatment for children with special needs; upgrading pre-K education programs; improving mentoring programs; ensuring better parenting.

It's not about finding more money, says Mr. Lawrence, nor about the neediest children. It's about making all of Florida's children a priority and creating a political force to convince lawmakers that this is what the public demands and our economy requires. It's the best news -- and the best hope -- Florida's children have had in a long time.

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