Crisis Alert: African American Children Have Lowest Well-Being in U.S.

Vol. 11, Issue 11 April 19, 2014 Crisis Alert: African American Children Have Lowest Well-Being in U.S. The Annie E. Casey Foundation has issued a 2014 report that explores the intersection of kids, race and opportunity.  The "Race for Results" report used 12 indicators and a single composite score to determine a child's chance at future success. The factors included whether the children were born at normal birth weight, if they were enrolled in preschool by the ages of 3 to 5, whether they lived with an adult who has at least a high school diploma, and their proficiency at reading and math during elementary and middle school. African-American children fared the worst in the study, and the situation "should be considered a national crisis," the report said.   In almost every region of the United States, African-American, Latino and Native American children face far greater barriers to their future success than their white and Asian counterparts, according to the study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which aims to improve the life of all children.  Read the full report here - http://bit.ly/RaceForResults.   What should be understood is that "children who cannot overcome barriers become adults who cannot overcome barriers."  Every resource in the African American community must be mobilized to address this issue.  African American community leaders, Political leaders, and Faith leaders should consider this report, and others like it, a crisis worthy of our top priority.  If we don't begin to reverse the trends of the past 20 years, this generation won't have the capacity to improve the future for generations to follow. The danger of inaction cannot be overstated.   The twelve measures of well-being in this report provide a good frame of reference for factors each of us can address.   The crisis of declining outcomes for African American children is real.  There is no need for debate.  Now is the time for increased action.   Full Report:  http://www.aecf.org/~/media/Pubs/Initiatives/KIDS%20COUNT/R/RaceforResults/RaceforResults.pdf