Caring for America's Children

Ensuring that all children have access to safe places, challenging experiences, and caring people on a daily basis would make America better, both today and in the future. We can achieve this goal by instituting high-quality universal preschool for all three- and four-year-olds and by providing school-age children with a better selection of after-school activities.

Preschool education, if high quality, prepares children for success in elementary school; it is associated with less grade failure, less special education, and higher achievement test scores. The effects, such as lower rates of juvenile delinquency and fewer problem behaviors during adolescence, can be long lasting. High-quality preschool surrounds young children with caring adults and challenging experiences in a safe setting.

Engaging after-school activities for elementary and middle school children counteract disengagement from school and offer alternatives to risky behaviors, such as drinking, smoking, and early sexual activity, during the typically unsupervised time after school. As with preschools, suitable after-school activities provide youths with the opportunity for challenging experiences and caring relationships with adults in a safe setting.

All community institutions, including schools, religious institutions, community centers, medical centers, and businesses, need to reach out to the children and youths in their community to guarantee them access to these opportunities: caring adults, challenging experiences, and safe places.