Strengthening Young Families
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| From the Director... |
Strengthening Young Families
This issue is not, by the way, limited to any one race or group. Among the over 1.5 million babies born annually to unmarried
American parents, about 38% are non-Hispanic white, 31% Hispanic, and 27% non-Hispanic black. The harsh economic
realities also affect all races, with a single parent white family 3 times more likely to be living in poverty than a married parents
black family (27% versus 9% in poverty, respectively).
Now, the good news... Studies also show that, at least at that crucial time when a baby is born, most unmarried parents are
still involved romantically, either living together (51%) or seeing each regularly (31%), and most hope to marry and to raise
their child together. Though often struggling with practical issues such as low income and limited education, most of the
dads are physically and financially involved. It's a key window of opportunity, because if these couples do succeed in forming
a strong and permanent family unit, they and their children are far more likely to prosper. Without help, most unmarried
parents now drift apart -- but there's so much that we as a nation can do to help these families to form, to survive, and to
thrive.
Mr. President, just as you've called us to serve and commit to our communities -- now call us to serve our families, and to
commit to our partners and our children. With your rare gift for speaking from the heart, you could use the presidential pulpit to
speak frankly to our nation, and particularly to young adults of parenting age, about how marriage and family commitment
have enhanced your own life. Or better yet, the two of you could commit to this issue together, expanding the wonderful work
that Michelle is already doing with military families. A leaderly start would be to come on the networks or U-Tube, and talk
together about the joys and challenges of committed family life. The example of admired leaders is powerful, and young
people need clear models as they make their own choices. For those of us already in committed families, ask us to consider
mentoring a newer family, through a community program or house of worship. It takes a village to raise a child -- but the
village can best serve kids by reaching out to their parents, too.
Mr. President, you've also promised to increase our government's commitment to programs that work, while eliminating or
fixing that don't. High on the "programs that work" list should be those which support and strengthen fragile families. The
Building Strong Families Initiative of the federal Administration for Children and Families, for example, offers voluntary support
groups and other services for poverty-stricken new parents who want to improve their skills as a couple, increase their
commitment as a family, and find jobs that can lift them out of poverty. Project evaluations so far suggest that the programs
are highly valued by the couples they serve, and, if replicated nationwide, could be a major force both to strengthen families
and reduce welfare dependency.
Another excellent example is Healthy Families America, a highly effective non-profit organization with sites nationwide,
providing comprehensive home-visiting services to struggling new parents. By helping parents to better care for their babies
and young children, the services promote healthy child development and family relationships right from the start. Currently
receiving only 19% federal funding, and operating at an average cost of only $2,764 per family per year, the program has the
capacity to help our nation transform how we serve and strengthen young families.
It's a lot like Head Start, Early Head Start, and other early childhood education, to which you have wisely pledged $10 billion in
increased funding. As your campaign platform affirmed: "For every one dollar invested in high-quality, comprehensive
programs supporting children and families from birth, there is a $7-$10 return to society in decreased need for special
education services, higher graduation and employment rates, less crime, less use of the public welfare system and better
health." Not incidentally, much of the success of Early Head Start programs comes from mentoring and working with the
parents of the babies and toddlers it serves.
In the "programs that don't work" category, we need to be alert to the dangers of programs which serve single parents and
their children only if the other parent isn't involved. While intended to target the neediest families, they can have the
unintended but devastating effect of pushing families apart. For years, welfare was available only to single parents living
apart from the other parent, and many loving but unemployed dads were implicitly encouraged to leave so their kids could get
needed help. We've fixed that, at least, and now financially qualifying two-parent families can get emergency cash and job
placement assistance as needed. Yet there are still many family shelters that take only women and children, and many
parenting programs with services targeted at just custodial moms or just non-custodial dads, without providing services to
parenting couples as couples. While some services, such as emergency shelters for battered women and their children,
have a legitimate need to exclude two-parent families, most do not. If we truly want to encourage couples who want to stay
together, we need to be ready to serve them together.
We are faced with a historic opportunity to help empower more American couples to become as committed and effective
partners as our new First Couple, and more American children to be as secure in their family ties as First Children Malia and
Sasha. Can we do it, Barack and Michelle, you and us together? YES WE CAN!
Dear President and First Lady Obama,
Of all the inspiring images our nation has enjoyed in recent months, none
can beat those of our new First Family: The two of you, dancing at the
Inaugural Balls, ecstatic, stunning, and clearly in love. Malia and Sasha,
skipping into the White House, or happily snuggled in parental arms. We
love your family -- now please help us with ours! You're making marriage
and family look cool again, and there's so much you can do to share the gift.
America's children and families are hurting; we're perhaps the most basic
link in America's crumbling infrastructure. Especially at risk are the one out
of three babies in the U.S. today who are born to unmarried parents. Most
unmarried parents dearly love their children, and many struggle heroically
to care and provide for them. Realistically, however, they face an uphill
battle. Children in a single parent household are nearly 5 times as likely to
be living in poverty as children in a household with married parents (38%
versus 8% in poverty, respectively). Additionally, children raised in married
two-parent households tend to do significantly better in school, have fewer
health problems, report greater happiness, and are more likely to go on to
complete college and become employed than children whose parents live
apart. While co-habiting parents may replicate some of these benefits for
their children, they are less likely than married parents to stay together,
raise healthy, successful children, or even to prosper financially.
Of all the inspiring images our nation has enjoyed in recent months, none
can beat those of our new First Family: The two of you, dancing at the
Inaugural Balls, ecstatic, stunning, and clearly in love. Malia and Sasha,
skipping into the White House, or happily snuggled in parental arms. We
love your family -- now please help us with ours! You're making marriage
and family look cool again, and there's so much you can do to share the gift.
America's children and families are hurting; we're perhaps the most basic
link in America's crumbling infrastructure. Especially at risk are the one out
of three babies in the U.S. today who are born to unmarried parents. Most
unmarried parents dearly love their children, and many struggle heroically
to care and provide for them. Realistically, however, they face an uphill
battle. Children in a single parent household are nearly 5 times as likely to
be living in poverty as children in a household with married parents (38%
versus 8% in poverty, respectively). Additionally, children raised in married
two-parent households tend to do significantly better in school, have fewer
health problems, report greater happiness, and are more likely to go on to
complete college and become employed than children whose parents live
apart. While co-habiting parents may replicate some of these benefits for
their children, they are less likely than married parents to stay together,
raise healthy, successful children, or even to prosper financially.
An Open Letter to Our Nation's New President and First Lady:
We love your family, Barack & Michelle -- now please help us with ours!
We love your family, Barack & Michelle -- now please help us with ours!