Editorial: Children’s statistics need study

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2003 | 9:18 a.m.

Imagine it's the end of the marking period and the report card you are taking home to your parents displays two Fs, a D and a D plus. You can imagine (assuming your parents do not believe in corporal punishment) the immediate reaction after presenting the cards. "How could this have happened?" your parents would ask. "What can we do to improve these grades?" These are good questions and the residents of Nevada should be asking them of their state and local governments, which have been receiving such grades for years in the area of child welfare.

Last week the Children's Advocacy Alliance, a 5-year-old nonprofit corporation based in Henderson, published its annual report on the education, health and safety of children in Nevada. The report looked at 21 areas in which state and local governments play a role in children's lives and grouped them into four general categories. The results were: Health, D plus; Safety and Security, D; Education, F; Teen years, F.

The Children's Advocacy Alliance is not alone in giving Nevada poor grades. Kids Count, a state-by-state report by a national foundation on the well-being of children, also consistently finds Nevada in the bottom grouping of states. And Nevada's own studies regularly show the need for improved services for children. Unfortunately, little ever gets done beyond gathering the statistics. This time, however, the 2003 Legislature has a chance to approve recommendations from a state task force and broaden the state's tax base. This would allow children's programs to almost immediately receive more funding.

The Legislature also has a chance to approve a longer-term solution. Many of the statistical reports documenting Nevada's shortcomings offer only generalized solutions, such as to "seek innovative ways to bolster support and resources." The Children's Advocacy Alliance, however, also offers a sound and specific recommendation: Create a statewide children's commission to report back to the governor and Legislature. This could lead to long-term solutions. We've learned from the reports the scope of this perennial problem. Now it's time to start a dialogue on what we're going to do about it.