Presidential Candidate Petition
Tell the President Candidates to Invest in Children

As candidates from all parties are throwing their hats into the ring and traveling the country in search of public support, NOW is the time to make a huge splash.

Demand that all presidential candidates from all parties take a stand on investing in children. Sign the Every Child Matters Petition. We will send this petition to all the presidential candidates shortly before the first contest in Iowa in January 2008.

Petition

To the Candidates for President,

Currently, millions of American children are without health insurance, millions are reported abused and neglected, millions are left unsupervised everyday after school, and millions have parents in a prison system that is crushing families.

Many programs such as the State Child Heath Insurance Program and Head Start serve only a fraction of the children eligible.

As you assemble your agendas for the coming months, we urge you to consider:

Leading a nationwide effort to prevent child abuse and neglect
Nearly three million reports of child abuse and neglect are made annually. Proven programs exist to prevent and treat child abuse, a widespread problem that contributes to many other social ills.

Creating a universal children’s health insurance program similar to Medicare for the elderly
Over 8 million children do not have health insurance and millions more are at risk of losing their coverage.  Combining and expanding Medicaid, S-CHIP, and employment-based insurance is achievable.

Ensuring that every child, regardless of income or background, has access to high quality early education
Millions of eligible three and four year-olds are not enrolled in quality pre-kindergarten programs that can help prepare them for school.

Promoting after-school programs that provide learning activities and connect kids with caring adults
After-school programs have been shown to help prevent crime, drug use, and teen pregnancy.  Millions of unsupervised children and teens would benefit.

Bringing all working families out of poverty
A combination of tax credits and deductions, minimum wage increases, family allowances, subsidized health insurance and child care, which guarantees that fulltime, low wage workers receive a household income
that does not fall below the federal poverty level.

Repealing a portion of the trillions in tax breaks given to the wealthiest 1% of Americans since 2001.

Sincerely,