California is Failing Our Kids [SacBee.com]

California’s economy is the seventh-largest in the world, and home to global industries that have revolutionized our way of life. Yet when it comes to caring for our children, we are failing to provide the essential services they need to thrive and succeed.

The facts are disturbing and unacceptable. California ranks 49th among the states for standard of living for kids; roughly half of children are in families in or near poverty; nearly three-fourths of our youngest kids don’t receive health screenings; one in four don’t regularly have enough food to eat; and about 1 million don’t have access to licensed child care. Adverse childhood experiences can have profound and lifelong negative consequences.

We need a better approach. We need to prioritize kids from the earliest age with a comprehensive system of care. This will take leadership from the grass roots, elected officials and the business community.

This is the conclusion of a report issued Wednesday by theRight Start Commission, an initiative of the advocacy group Common Sense. As commission members, we spent months listening to business, academic and community leaders to develop a comprehensive plan to put children at the center of our politics.