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Investing in Our Children: The "Decade of the Child" Blueprint

Do you believe in investing in the well-being of our nation's children and youth? Please consider supporting the "Decade of the Child" initiative, a national action plan aimed at fostering the health, safety, well-being, and future of our children.



The current state of affairs for children in the U.S. is sobering. Nearly two-thirds of American children and youth experience physical, mental, or social health problems that can impact their daily lives, development, and long-term health. The U.S. has consistently ranked at the bottom among developed countries across various indicators of child well-being, including high rates of infant mortality, mental and physical illnesses, obesity, asthma, and a lack of access to healthy food and safe environments.


Despite these challenges, there is good news: we understand what children need to thrive, and effective solutions are available.


Decades of scientific research have provided sound recommendations for evidence-based policies and practices that can promote health and prevent many of the problems children and youth currently face. Solutions require a shift in how we think about and invest in strategies that support what is known as "whole child health" – building strong families and communities that can meet children's vital needs, such as physical growth, developmental milestones, quality childcare and education, and healthy relationships with supportive adults.


Implementing evidence-based strategies on a large scale offers significant economic benefits for individuals, families, communities, businesses, and the government. These benefits include reduced healthcare costs, increased productivity, better physical and mental health, reduced absenteeism, a decreased need for child welfare interventions, and improved long-term earnings.


To advance this important agenda, please consider asking your representatives to consider several actions: 1) evaluating policy priorities to support children, 2) investing in specific areas of concern for children in their districts, 3) encouraging legislative colleagues to prioritize children, 4) explicitly stating child-supportive policy concerns on their websites, and 5) informing constituents of these issues and their commitment to address them.


The initiative is led by Diana Fishbein, PhD (National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Penn State University) and Christina Bethell, PhD (Child and Adolescent Measurement Initiative, Johns Hopkins University.

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