Contact:
Roy Miller, President, The Children’s Campaign
727-224-7274 (cell), roywmiller@aol.com
Roberta Heine, Vice-President, Communications, Voices for America’s Children
202- 380-1781 (work), heine@voices.org
Report: Presidential debates discussed child issues less than 2 percent of the time
Child advocates decry a lack of focus on child health, poverty, and education
(Tallahassee, FL) – The Children’s Campaign in partnership with Voices for America’s Children today
released an updated report tracking questions about child policy – such as education, child health, child
safety, and child poverty – raised in the first 20 presidential debates. The new edition examines each of
the transcripts of the Republican presidential debates beginning with Greenville, South Carolina on May
5, 2011, and ending in Mesa, Arizona on February 22, 2012.
The report, “Election 2012 Debate Watch Update: Moving America’s Children Into the Spotlight,” was
produced by the Child and Family Policy Center headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Its executive
director, Dr. Charles Bruner, was the report’s co-author. Bruner said, “How the federal government
responds to children and their needs is critical to the nation’s future prosperity, and must be part of the
presidential election dialogue and debate.”
The report shows that candidates fielded more than 1,000 debate questions on national security, the
economy, immigration, social security, the federal deficit, and other issues, yet only 17 questions on K12 education, child health, welfare and poverty. No questions were fielded on child protection, early
childhood education, or children with disabilities.
“While children represent 24 percent of the population and 100 percent of our future, questions about
their future constituted less than 2 percent of all questions raised in those debates,” said Bill Bentley,
president and CEO of Voices for America’s Children. “America’s more than 74 million children can’t
vote, but they should be heard, especially in a time of widespread hardship for families.”
The report also cited Kids Share, a study by Brookings and the Urban Institute, which shows that the
federal government spends $374 billion annually for child health, safety, nutrition, education, and
economic security programs, about one-third of all federal, state, and local public investments in
children’s programs.
“This analysis reveals the growing disconnect between voters and campaign rhetoric,” says Roy Miller,
head of The Children’s Campaign in Florida and chair of the Voices national civic engagement
initiative. “The divide goes beyond candidates being stuck to their all-too-familiar scripts and attack
strategies on each other. The debate moderators bear some responsibility for content.”
Members of Voices for America’s Children have signed a resolution calling for increased attention to
children’s issues, which will be submitted to presidential candidates and candidates for Congress
through member organizations and their policy coalitions.
Read the original report here: http://voices.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Moving-AmericasChildren-Into-the-Spotlight-report-120511.pdf
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The Children’s Campaign is Florida’s most reliable and visible multi-issue, children’s watchdog and
advocacy organization. It is a member of Voices for America’s Children. www.iamforkids.org
As the nation’s largest network of multi-issue child advocacy organizations, Voices for America’s
Children (Voices) has been on the forefront of every major child policy victory for the past quartercentury. With 62 members nationwide, Voices speaks up for kids, and mobilizes and advocates for
public policies to improve the lives of all children, especially those most vulnerable, throughout the
United States. Visit us at www.voices.org.