Children S Issues

WHY IS IT that a call to "Stand for Children" on the Mall in Washington, D.C. gets tangled up in politics? The gathering of some 200,000 people in the nation's capital this past weekend was denounced in advance by some conservative groups as nothing more than a march in support of the welfare state.Children's issues inevitably become political because children don't exist alone, but as part of families. Despite the American penchant for celebrating "family values," the fact is that from health care to schools to balancing the federal budget, policies that affect families and shape the lives of children are inherently political.

Citing a report showing that children fare worse in Baltimore than elsewhere in Maryland, a new coalition yesterday asked city candidates for mayor and City Council to make the welfare of children a key campaign issue this year."

Children are familiar props in political campaigns, but once politicians take office as elected officials the problems of kids usually recede into the background. Children's issues have gotten more attention in recent years, but seldom have politicians established the well-being of the next generation as a top priority. Children, after all, don't vote.Maryland, with a strong heritage of citizen activism on behalf of children's issues, is better off in this regard than many other states. Even so, too many Maryland youngsters are failing to learn in school, failing to thrive physically and, in many cases, even failing to survive the increasingly mean streets of inner-city neighborhoods.

Carmen Dawn Gladding is about to find out "who's for kids, and who's just kidding" in Howard County.Ms. Gladding is coordinator for the new Howard County arm of Vote Kids '94, a statewide nonpartisan educational campaign launched May 17 to inform the public and political candidates about issues related to children."

Author Tom Clancy came to Carroll County 35 years ago as a child to visit the Colts football camp. Needy county children brought him back to the county last night for the first time since 1958."

The group building the Baltimore's Children's Museum is exploring plans to make it the anchor for an even more ambitious development project: a children's center that would provide a wide range of services.Baltimore Children's Museum, Inc. the nonprofit group planning the center, recently chose a multidisciplinary team headed by Struever Bros., Eccles & Rouse of Baltimore to assess the economic feasibility of creating the museum and center.The site under study is the Brokerage at the Inner Harbor, a three-acre, 280,000-square-foot complex of shops, offices and parking space bounded by Baltimore, Water and Frederick streets and Market Place.

WASHINGTON -- Every school day in the United States, more than 3,000 black students are suspended from public school, more than 500 black students drop out. Every day, more than 800 black teen-age girls become pregnant, approximately 126 black youths are arrested for violent crime, 34 black infants die, five black children are murdered, one black child commits suicide.Such shocking statistics have propelled more than 100 leading black child advocates, community activists and religious leaders from around the country to unite in an effort to rescue black children.

WASHINGTON -- It was President-elect Bill Clinton who mad the evening news with his meeting with President Bush, but it was Hillary Clinton who gave the first Washington speech.In an indication of how Hillary Clinton plans to honor her vow to be "a voice for children" in the White House, the longtime children's advocate chose to make her first post-election public remarks at the Children's Defense Fund annual dinner last night.In this politically self-conscious city, every move Mrs. Clinton makes is scrutinized for evidence of how she will balance being both presidential wife and career woman, and the speech last night set off an immediate flurry of speculation.

And (Jesus) took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and whenhe had taken him into his arms he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. (Mark 9:36-37)Ministers and priests around the county will be dedicating theirservices Sunday to the needs of children in Carroll and around the country."Child Focus Weekend," as designated by the county commissioners,has been planned to bring problems and issues relating to children to the attention of Carroll's residents and candidates in Tuesday's primary election.

For President Bush, "the vision thing" never came naturally. Even so, his administration has not been shy about setting goals for the health and education of the nation's children.But if vision means not just setting goals but also working seriously to achieve them, the Bush administration still comes up woefully short. In 1990, the administration adopted goals for the year 2000 in regard to the health and education of U.S. children. So far, there is precious little progress to report.It doesn't have to be that way, and a coalition of groups concerned about children's issues is determined to take advantage of the presidential election to draw attention to issues that have everything to do with the future of the country.

Statistically, the most likely profile of a neglectful or abusive parent is a 30-year-old, college-educated white woman who has a job. Yet in Maryland, African-American children are far more likely than their white counterparts to be removed from their homes by child welfare officials because of maltreatment. A recent study by Advocates for Children and Youth, a group that lobbies for children's issues in Maryland, found that while African-Americans make up only a third of the state's children, they constitute nearly three-quarters of the children removed from their homes, and are five times more likely than white children to be placed in group or foster home care.

Dianne L. Madoni, an official with the Governor's Office for Children, Youth and Families for more than two decades, died Monday of complications from diabetes at Greater Baltimore Medical Center. The Lutherville resident was 54. Ms. Madoni entered state government in 1979 as a legislative liaison for the agency. She wrote the text of bills that became state law and often met with elected officials to get those laws passed. Colleagues said that in 1987, she played a role in creating the Maryland Children's Trust Fund, which assists in the prevention of child abuse.

WHY IS IT, Susan P. Leviton wonders, that America gives the least to kids who need the most? The question has tugged at her conscience for decades. And it has motivated the 53-year-old Baltimore native to go to bat for children who often have no one on their side. In the last quarter-century, she has been the most effective Maryland voice for children in need. Her insistent advocacy led to the closing of the abusive Montrose School for nonviolent delinquents, an improved state foster-care system and a shift of state aid to programs that help abused and troubled kids at an earlier stage.

WHY IS IT that a call to "Stand for Children" on the Mall in Washington, D.C. gets tangled up in politics? The gathering of some 200,000 people in the nation's capital this past weekend was denounced in advance by some conservative groups as nothing more than a march in support of the welfare state.Children's issues inevitably become political because children don't exist alone, but as part of families. Despite the American penchant for celebrating "family values," the fact is that from health care to schools to balancing the federal budget, policies that affect families and shape the lives of children are inherently political.

Citing a report showing that children fare worse in Baltimore than elsewhere in Maryland, a new coalition yesterday asked city candidates for mayor and City Council to make the welfare of children a key campaign issue this year."

Carmen Dawn Gladding is about to find out "who's for kids, and who's just kidding" in Howard County.Ms. Gladding is coordinator for the new Howard County arm of Vote Kids '94, a statewide nonpartisan educational campaign launched May 17 to inform the public and political candidates about issues related to children."

Children are familiar props in political campaigns, but once politicians take office as elected officials the problems of kids usually recede into the background. Children's issues have gotten more attention in recent years, but seldom have politicians established the well-being of the next generation as a top priority. Children, after all, don't vote.Maryland, with a strong heritage of citizen activism on behalf of children's issues, is better off in this regard than many other states. Even so, too many Maryland youngsters are failing to learn in school, failing to thrive physically and, in many cases, even failing to survive the increasingly mean streets of inner-city neighborhoods.

Author Tom Clancy came to Carroll County 35 years ago as a child to visit the Colts football camp. Needy county children brought him back to the county last night for the first time since 1958."

The group building the Baltimore's Children's Museum is exploring plans to make it the anchor for an even more ambitious development project: a children's center that would provide a wide range of services.Baltimore Children's Museum, Inc. the nonprofit group planning the center, recently chose a multidisciplinary team headed by Struever Bros., Eccles & Rouse of Baltimore to assess the economic feasibility of creating the museum and center.The site under study is the Brokerage at the Inner Harbor, a three-acre, 280,000-square-foot complex of shops, offices and parking space bounded by Baltimore, Water and Frederick streets and Market Place.

WASHINGTON -- Every school day in the United States, more than 3,000 black students are suspended from public school, more than 500 black students drop out. Every day, more than 800 black teen-age girls become pregnant, approximately 126 black youths are arrested for violent crime, 34 black infants die, five black children are murdered, one black child commits suicide.Such shocking statistics have propelled more than 100 leading black child advocates, community activists and religious leaders from around the country to unite in an effort to rescue black children.