Florida simply isn't doing enough for its children

From the Orlando Sentinel, By Kathleen Haughney, Tallahassee Bureau

TALLAHASSEE — In the past year and a half, Gov. Rick Scott named his wife, Ann, the state's chief child advocate. He put Department of Children and Families Secretary David Wilkins in charge of the children and youth cabinet. And he reappointed some of the state's chief advocates for child welfare to the group.

It was, many thought, a good sign that the Governor's Office was committed to working on children's issues, particularly because he had given his wife such a high-profile responsibility.

But many child advocates say the state's children are still struggling to keep from falling through the cracks in the state's education, health-care and public-safety systems, and that Florida simply isn't doing enough.

"The governor's plan seems to be targeted at keeping our heads above water concerning certain services for children," said Roy Miller, president of the Children's Lobby, singling out voluntary pre-kindergarten and health-care services for low-income families. "But long-term, that plan won't work because it's not based on addressing financial needs of services to children and the continued growth of the number of children needing those services."

Miller and others point to a Rutgers University study that ranked Florida near the bottom of states in spending on pre-kindergarten education and said the state met only three out of 10 national standards — falling short, for instance, in providing qualified teachers. According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Florida's rate of preterm births was 13.5 percent, compared with a national average of 12.2 percent. Wilkins' DCF child-abuse hotline continued to receive more than 4 million calls, and the state is on pace to arrest 100,000 juveniles this year, though that's a 10 percent drop from the previous fiscal year.

To be fair, these problems have persisted during the past decade, and neither legislators nor governors have made much of a dent in those statistics. But advocates worry about continued inaction.

"It's a continuum," said Sen. Nan Rich, D-Weston, who plans to oppose Scott in the 2014 elections. "You have to start at the beginning. You have to make sure they get their health care, make sure they get their child care, and then on to [pre-K], and then on to the K-12 system. From an education and health standpoint, this discussion is very weak in terms of outcomes for children."

One big problem: money.

The state has faced budget shortfalls the past few years, so health care, education and criminal justice were repeatedly whacked in order to balance the state budget. Public schools alone lost $1.35 billion last year, though the Legislature and Scott passed a budget this spring that will restore about $1 billion of those cuts.

So children's advocates have been forced to figure out what changes they can make without spending much money.

Scott raised advocates' hopes when he named his wife "chief child advocate," replacing former state Rep. Jim Kallinger, who held the then-paid position under former Gov. Charlie Crist. Kallinger led a campaign that led to the adoption of 12,000 children in three years and a 36 percent reduction in the number of children in foster care.

Ann Scott, who would not be interviewed for this story, said last year that she hoped to focus on education and healthful living. But she gave no specifics then and has yet to take on a major campaign, such as adoption. She also has not been a regular presence at meetings of the Children and Youth Cabinet, made up of agency heads and child advocates from across the state.

Wilkins said that Scott has been used mostly as a "communicator," supporting causes such as literacy and foster care, plus talking with people when she travels with the governor or on her own.

"Her main forte is getting around to organizations, meeting the owners and the managers and employees of those groups and talking to them," he said.

Last week, the first lady unveiled a new Baby Journal for parents of newborns, filled with tips and advice to promote learning and health in a child's earliest years. The state will provide 200,000 free copies to mothers during the next year.

Wilkins said he also is looking at revamping Kallinger's adoption program. Ann Scott said last year that she would like to continue the program as well.

Wilkins said the state has taken a number of steps in the past year to help children, including legislative approval of a crackdown on human trafficking, a roughly $4,000-a-year pay increase for child-protection investigators and simplifying a background check for volunteers who want to mentor or aid in children's programs. Rich also scored a victory by extending the eligibility for low-cost Kidcare health insurance to the children of thousands of state employees.

But Wilkins admits the state has a long way to go.

"Oh, God," he said. "There's so many things."

khaughney@tribune.com or 850-224-6214

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/fl-ann-scott-child-advocate-20120519,0,5239540.story