Our Priorities
Cancer Research
Cancer kills more children than any other disease, though it receives the least amount of funding for research. Though children make up 22% of the U.S. population, childhood cancers only receive 4% of the nations cancer research funding.
Mental Health
Suicides have dramatically increased among young people in recent years. Since 2007 suicide rates for children between the age of 5-14 have more than tripled. With parents working longer hours and teachers managing larger classrooms, kids are left unsupervised with no one to turn to.
Infant Mortality
We have the highest infant and maternal mortality rate amongst developed nations. More than 1 in every 200 infants die in the United States due to lack of prenatal care, high rate of cesarean section and poverty associated illnesses including; obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Maternal death rate is more than 3 times the rate in the 38 developed countries it was compared with. These deaths occur despite our country spending 2-4 times more on healthcare than other wealthy nations.
Climate Change
Scientists predict that the rise in sea level and increased temperatures associated with global warming will cause crop devastation and mass displacement. Immigration, food shortages, and deadly weather events will dramatically increase in the years to come making life more difficult for our children and grandchildren.
Child Care
Europe along with developed countries contribute an average of $14,000 annually for a toddlers care, compared with $500 in the U.S. For a toddler, the average cost for formal child care is $1,100 monthly. As a result of child care deserts throughout our country, the loss of earnings, productivity and revenue is estimated to cost our country $122 billion annually.
Gun Violence
Gun deaths among youth have risen more than 50% in recent years accounting for more than 2,500 fatalities annually. No other peer country experiences this phenomenon.
Child Homelessnes
-2.5 Million children are now homeless in the U.S. including 1.2 Million children under the age of 6.
-Families with children make up nearly 30% of the homeless population.
-1 in every 30 children is homeless.
Child Abuse
-1,750 children die of abuse and neglect each year in the U.S.
-1 out of 7 children experience abuse
-There are 20,000 documented cases of child sex trafficking annually. Experts predict the actually number is many times higher.
Education
In recent years we have fallen further and further behind in the world rankings for education. Science-24th Mathematics-39th Reading-24th As a result of our failure to adequately fund our education system, vital industries are now forced to hire foreign talent for positions once filled by Americans in tech, engineering and finance to name only few fields.
Food Insecurity
Children face increased health problems, developmental differences and poor academic performance as a result of malnutrition. Over 17% of households with children are food insecure and 27% of children do not eat a school meal everyday for lunch.
