State group fears

budget cuts will

bring harm to children
By Scott Nicholson

A statewide public-interest group says it is concerned about the budget impacts on children’s programs and services, releasing a report this week that calls children “a declining priority.”

A publication by Action for Children North Carolina, “Children in the Federal and State Budgets: A Declining Priority?,” analyzes federal and state commitments to children in recent years and offers recommendations for addressing children’s issues in a time of economic crisis.

The report states federal spending on children’s programs has dropped 10 percent over the last five years, and in 2008, children’s programs made up 10 percent of the federal budget, not including defense spending.

However, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act commits $142 billion for Head Start, food stamps, Medicaid, foster care and adoption assistance, Social Services block grants and expanded child tax credits, as well as education spending.

While North Carolina’s contribution to children, particularly through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, has increased as a percentage of overall state budget, programs in the Division of Child Development, Department of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention and Division of Child Development declined 19 percent from 2001 to 2008.

“Our state and our country rely on investments in programs and services for our children and families. For today’s children to grow and become tomorrow’s leaders, they must all be given opportunities to succeed,” said Barbara Bradley, Action for Children North Carolina’s President and CEO, in a statement accompanying the report.

“But in recent years, children have become less of a priority in our budgets. It is especially critical in this economic climate that we invest wisely in our children in order to secure sound futures for them and for our state.”

With the state facing an estimated $2.5 billion shortfall, child advocates are bracing for more cuts this year, saying state spending per school-age child dropped nearly $300 from 2007 to 2008.

Action for Children North Carolina is advocating for the General Assembly to reinvest in children’s programs, raise revenues to cover the budget gap, incorporate more recent research in making policy decisions, and reform and modernize programs and practices.

The complete report is available at www.ncchild.org.