What's good for children
'MOTHERHOOD AND childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection." These are the words in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948. A 2005 update might seek to protect all children whether rich or poor. For the last several years, children have been riding a roller coaster of state and federal budget cuts. For many it has been a downhill plunge into scarce resources.
In Massachusetts, babies, toddlers, and teenagers are all being pinched. There's less funding for healthcare, schools, and pregnancy prevention. Fewer adults do the administrative work it takes to protect abused and neglected children. Libraries and parks struggle to maintain themselves.
''Government plays a particularly important role in the lives of those children who face the greatest challenges," argues a new report released today from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center that details the impact of the cuts.
The numbers are considerable:
States have also scrambled to make ends meet in the face of bruising federal cuts. And, as we and others have noted repeatedly, Congress is trying to preserve tax cuts even though this means taking needed services from the nation's children.
Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund, said recently that this is a time of ''moral calamity" but also of great challenge and opportunity.
There are profound moral reasons for giving children the best resources. But taxpayers and legislators need only focus on sheer economics: Helping children succeed the first time around is cost-effective. Good public programs enrich children and lessen the need for adult remediation.
As the recent fiscal crisis eases and Massachusetts rebuilds, residents and legislators should start asking what public investments will help children. Many answers will also benefit families, teachers, and the Commonwealth. 