Critical Issues Children Face in the 2000s.

Abstract

Abstract. My responsibilities for the Future of School Psychology Conference were twofold. First, I was to discuss the critical issues that children face or will face as we move into the 2000s. My second task was to propose roles for school psychology, within the constraints of the shortage, to address these issues. ********** Issues Facing Children Children will face many critical issues in the 21st century. Unfortunately, most of these issues are not new and have remained the same from previous years. For some of the issues, the prevalence has increased, whereas some decrease is being seen in others. According to the Children's Defense Fund (2003): * An American child is reported abused or neglected every 11 seconds. * Children in foster care number 581,000, with a waiting list of 127,000. * An American child is born without health insurance every minute. * Millions of children start school not ready to learn. * Millions of children lack safe, affordable, quality child care and early childhood education while their parents work. * Seven and one-half million children are at home alone without supervision, frequently after school when they are at greatest risk for getting into trouble. * Close to 12 million children are poor, millions are hungry and/or at risk for hunger, living in the worst housing conditions, or are homeless. Almost 80% of poor children live in working households. The following is a brief review of some of the problems contributing to these critical issues. Poverty Although poverty rates have been decreasing slightly since 1993, with the recent economic downturn, it is anticipated that we will again experience significant increases in children living in poverty. Data from the National Center for Children in Poverty (2003) indicate that: * A total of 37% of children in the United States (27 million) live in low-income families. * Poverty is not an issue unique to single parent or unemployed households. * Eighty percent of poor children live in working households, and 65% have both parents working. * A total of 40% of children under the age of 6 live in homes where the income is below $27,000 for a family of four. * A total of 16% of children (over 11 million) live in homes that are below the federal poverty level ($13,861 for a family of three). * The poverty rate is highest for African Americans (30%) and Latinos (28%). * A total of 6% of children (5 million) live in extreme poverty ($6,930 for a family of three). Violence The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2003a, 2003b, 2003c) reported that violent injury and death disproportionately affect children, adolescents, and young adults. Many of these deaths are linked to firearms. Violent deaths have occurred in the home, community, and school. Data indicate that: * Homicide is the second leading cause of death for all 15 to 24-year olds, most killed with guns. * Homicide is the leading cause of death for African Americans. * Homicide is the second leading cause of death for Hispanic youths. * More than 400,000 youth ages 10 to 19 years were injured as a result of violence in 2000. * A total of 17% of youth between the ages of 12 and 17 years reportedly carried weapons. * Males are six times more likely than females to have carried a handgun. * Over 800,000 children were victims of child abuse nationwide. Numbers reflect reported abuse only. * In a survey of high-school students by Knowledge Networks, one-fourth reported knowing at least one student at their school who had been physically struck by a person they were dating. * A total of 36% of high-school students reported having been in physical fights. (The Empower Program, 2003; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2003). …