All of our faith traditions call us to seek justice for all children. The Interfaith Children’s Movement provides leadership and support to our members as each finds his or her voice and calling for the children among us.
The State of Children in Georgia
Why are we advocating for children in Georgia?
- In the 2009 Kids Count report, Georgia ranked 42 in the nation in overall child well-being.
- In the March 2009 release of the National Center on Family Homelessness report, Georgia ranked 49 in the nation in overall child well-being and homelessness (number of homeless children (58,397) and level of effort in planning for and addressing the issue (“Inadequate”)).
- Poverty – 1 in 5 children in Georgia lives in poverty or 484,525 children or 20% of the child population.
- Healthcare – More than 300,000 children in Georgia do not have healthcare.
- Education - Georgia ranks 41st in the nation in high school dropouts, with 52,000 children ages 16 – 19. 55% of eligible children are in the Georgia pre-K program (75,299 children).
- Abuse – 107 incidents per day of child abuse and/or neglect are substantiated (39,000 children).
- Sexual Exploitation - 250 – 300 girls in Georgia are sexually exploited each month, with an average age of 14.5 years old.
- Juvenile Justice System – In 2007, almost 3,600 male youths were under some form of “commitment” on a daily basis; almost 800 females were under some form of “commitment.” Of that population, 70% were African American children.
- Immigrant Children – (Data for third and fifth grades) 29% of migrant children at the third grade level lag behind their peers in meeting Reading standards; 22% of Hispanic students at the fifth grade level are more likely to fail the Reading CRCT; 16% of Hispanic students are more than twice as likely to fail the Math CRCT as white students and more than five times as likely to fail as Asian students.
(2006 child population in Georgia - 2,455,020, ages 0-18; most data collected between 2005 and 2007)
Coalitions to which ICM belongs:
2010 Child Advocacy Agenda
ICM's advocacy issues include (but are not limited to):
- Re-write of Georgia's Juvenile Code (SB 292)
- Georgia's Universal Pre-K Program: 80% Enrollment Goal and Availability to All Children (Governor's proposed budget cuts could mean reduction in available spaces and elimination of resource coordinators)
And ICM will continue to work with others who are advocating for extending protected leave to unprotected workers. Parents should not have to choose between keeping their jobs and taking their children to the doctor or attending a parent/teacher conference.
BUDGET CUTS HURT MOST VULNERABLE
- Doctors and dentists say they will stop taking patients with Medicaid and PeachCare because of fee cuts.
- Families that stepped up and adopted children with special needs will lose day care and respite.
- Staff cannot keep up with food stamp and Medicaid applications, making families wait and wait. Now, more workers will be cut.
- Families caring for people with Alzheimer's will lose services.
- PeachCare premiums will go up, causing children to lose coverage.
2009 Child Advocacy Agenda
1. Join the Interfaith Children's Advocacy Network (ICAN)
2.ICM Day at the Capitol
3. Advocacy Training Schedule (see home page "ICM Features - Children's Issues and Advocacy)
4. Advocacy Accomplishments of This and Prior Years
5. How to Contact Your Legislators and Tips on What to Say