Washington Watch
The Act to Leave No Child Behind
by Douglas Grace
 According
to the Children's Defense Fund, one in six children in the United
States, or 12.1 million, still live in poverty. In this time
of unprecedented wealth, children are more likely to be poor
today than they were 20 or 30 years ago. Nearly 11 million children
are without health insurance, 90 percent of whom have working
parents. America's citizens and leaders must do more to support
low-income working families. Parents trying to stay off welfare
risk unemployment and further hardships for their families without
the benefits of stable childcare and transportation to get to
their jobs.
In the coming months, the U.S. Congress will have the opportunity
to act on a number of key initiatives included in the Act to
Leave No Child Behind. This act is comprehensive legislation
that the Children's Defense Fund helped develop and that is being
introduced by lead sponsors, Senator Chris Dodd (CT) and Representative
George Miller (CA). This legislation gives the President, Congress
and all North Americans the opportunity to insure the health
of every child and their parents, and to provide programs to
bring many families out of poverty.
As Presbyterians, we have been celebrating the Year of the Child.
This Act is an opportunity for the church to join the national
campaign for the well-being of America's children and their parents.
To join the Washington Office e-serve network and receive email
education and action alerts as legislation moves through Congress,
send an email to Sherry Giles, sgiles@ctr.pcusa.org.
Advocates are encouraged to send a hand-written letter to their
Representative and two Senators asking them to support the provision
of the Act to Leave No Child Behind. To find your senators or
representatives names or more about them, visit http://thomas.loc.gov
or call the PC(USA) Washington Office at 202/543-1126.
Douglas Grace is the domestic policy associate for the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) Washington Office.
For more information, contact the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Washington Office, 110 Maryland Avenue NE,
Washington, D.C. 20002; 202/543-1126; fax 202/543-7755; www.pcusa.org.
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