We all know that Maine children deserve the best future we can provide for them. It is our responsibility to ensure that our children have the tools they need to grow and be successful.
Recently, the Maine Children’s Alliance released their annual “Kids Count” report, which provides an in-depth look at where kids in Maine stand in areas like health, education and poverty.
The good news is that Maine kids are doing better in school. More students are graduating high school on time, more students are proficient in math and reading, and more children are in preschool.
Early education is particularly important, as it is the foundation for future success, and this year the Legislature passed a law to increase access to pre-kindergarten programs. Currently, only 60 percent of school districts in the state offer a public pre-K program, and less than a third of 4-year-olds are enrolled in a pre-K program. The new law we passed will provide start-up funding to school districts that want to offer a pre-K program. While pre-K might not be for every family, every child should have the opportunity to attend preschool regardless of where they live.
Although we have made progress in education, we have more work to do in other areas, especially children’s economic well-being. More than one in five children now lives in poverty, and one in four children are food insecure ”“ meaning they don’t always know from whence their next meal is coming.
When children are hungry, it is irresponsible and unconscionable not to do everything we can to help.
This year, the Legislature passed two laws to increase children’s access to food. In February, we overrode Gov. LePage’s veto of a bill to increase access to summer food programs, which provide meals during summer vacation to children who qualify for free or reduced price meals during the school year. In April, we created a task force to explore additional ways to increase children’s access to food, such as taking full advantage of federal programs, like the summer food program.
It’s a step in the right direction, but it won’t completely solve the problem. If we are going to help our children, we need to help their families.
We know that the best anti-poverty program is a job, but according to the Kids Count report, one in three children have parents who want to work full-time but can’t find jobs. Maine’s economy is lagging behind the rest of the nation, and Maine families are paying the price. While our New England neighbors have recovered all the jobs they lost ”“ and created some ”“ Maine has only recovered little more than half of the jobs lost.
When parents can’t find work, it’s a struggle to put food on the table, and when children are hungry, they don’t do as well in school.
To move forward, we need to focus on creating well-paying jobs, and ensuring that Maine people have the skills and training they need to get those jobs. We need to continue our efforts to reduce student hunger and increase access to quality education.
Our children are our future. We owe it to them and to ourselves to make sure they have the opportunity for a successful future.
— Sen. David E. Dutremble is a Democrat who represents the communities of Arundel, Biddeford, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. He lives in Biddeford with his wife and children. His column appears on the first Monday of each month.
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