Progress for children is progress for all

By Staff
Johnny Mack Morrow
It is an old clich/ that the children are our future. Yet new studies published recently show that the health and education achievement of our young people are some of the most important factors of our state's economic future.
It makes sense. If children grow up unhealthy, the future burdens on our healthcare system and the loss in productivity due to sickness will increase. If children are not well educated, they will be at a competitive disadvantage not only with people in other states, but also with workers around the world. How we support and care for children impacts everyone in Alabama, not just people who have children or grandchildren.
So how are we doing? The answer is that we are doing better. And recent successes indicate we are poised for more success, as long as we maintain proper investment in things that work.
Over the past ten years, Alabama has insured more than 200,000 children through the All Kids program. All Kids provides health coverage for children in working families who make too much for Medicaid, but are below 200 percent of the federal poverty level (approximately $42,000 for a family of four), and work where no health coverage is provided.
The program was started through SCHIP, the children's health insurance program set up by Congress. Alabama was one of the first states to fully implement this program, taking full advantage of the federal matching dollars, and making it a public-private partnership that has become a model for the nation.
All Kids is paying off. A recent report from the Commonwealth Fund found that our state was 14th in the nation, tied with wealthy Connecticut, in providing health care to children. Compare that to our neighboring states, where Tennessee ranked 30th, Georgia 38th, Mississippi 49th, and Florida came in dead last at 50th.
The report focused on 13 critical aspects for children's health, including preventative care, vaccines, and infant mortality. The benefit of having health insurance is making sure that chronic or small health problems do not grow into life threatening or crippling illnesses that will cost a young person their future, and rob the state of their productivity.
Another area of recent improvement is education. There have been historic jumps in fourth grade reading scores and other benchmarks of student progress. Across the board in every grade, there are advances in student achievement, especially in the critical area of language skills, where the Alabama Reading Initiative has paid off. However, the one indicator most important to our economic future is the graduation rate, where there is also progress, but still has some ways to go.
According to a major national publication, Alabama's graduation rate jumped 2.3 percent over the last year, more than double the national increase. Alabama's graduation rate is now over 61 percent, while the nation's rate is a little more than 70 percent. No one believes that our graduation rates are acceptable, but you can see real progress.
Alabama has one of the toughest graduation exams in the nation, and the state holds high standards for its diplomas. We must do what we can to make sure more students stay in school and make the grade.
Our world has changed. It used to be that a student could leave high school before graduating and walk into a plant or job site and start working. A high school diploma is now a requirement for many jobs, and the skills gained by getting a diploma are necessary for the demands of the modern workplace. With the education gains made in the lower grades, we should continue to see gains in graduation rates.
It has been an article of faith that each succeeding generation will do better and live longer than the last. What researchers and economists are realizing is how a state prepares and cares for all its children has a tremendous economic impact for every citizen, every family, every household.
The investments we've made in children are starting to pay off. That will mean a brighter future for all of us.
Johnny Mack Morrow is a state representative for Franklin County. His column appears each Wednesday.