When someone is asked, “Why not have Children’s Day?” you may have heard this reply: “Every day is children’s day.”
Yes, children need to feel loved and accepted every day. However, it also is important for them to have their own special day.
John Ross, advocate for Children’s Day on the second Sunday in June, is part of a growing movement spear-headed by the website www.nationalchildrensday.us [1], which hopes attitudes of Americans will change regarding a special day for children. He notes that American families and the entire country need this day to love, evaluate, and commit to the betterment of our children.
Here are a few statistics that show the care our children must have. By establishing a National Children’s Day in the United States, these concerns can be brought to the forefront:
• Most nations of the world have a special day for children. (listing of 86 countries)
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children’s_Day [2]
• Every year more than 3.6 million referrals are made to child protection agencies involving more than 6.6 million children (a referral can include multiple children). The United States has one of the worst records among industrialized nations.
Source: ChildHelp.org [3]
• A staggering 2.5 million children are now homeless each year in America. This historic high represents one in every 30 children in the United States.
Source: AIR.org [4]
• A reversal may happen, but… Today, thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicaid, and the Children’s Health insurance Program (CHIP), 94 percent of children in America have health coverage – an historic high. – See more at: http://www.childrensdefense.org/policy/health/#sthash.6i4zXfot.dpuf
Source: ChildrensDefense.org [5]
• The U.S., which had some of the highest graduation rates of any developed country, now ranks 22nd out of 27 developed countries.
Source: DoSomething.org [6]
• Report… Investing in Our Future: The Evidence Base on Preschool Education
Source: fcd-us.org [7]
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