Letter to Congress

September 6, 2005

The Honorable Bill Frist
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Dennis Hastert
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Harry Reid
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressional Leaders:

As a nation, we have all been deeply disturbed by the images of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Mothers and fathers trudging waist high through water clutching their frightened infants and young children; grandparents who are so overwhelmed with their traumatized toddlers and preschoolers desperately seeking their missing parents and safe shelter.  The devastation of Hurricane Katrina has, and will have, in the weeks, months and even years to come a profound effect on the lives of thousands of children and their families.

As Congress returns from the summer recess, we urge you to turn immediately to the need for additional resources for a comprehensive response, and to focus America’s full attention on the needs of the young children and families affected by this disaster. We hope you will put aside other legislation scheduled for September to deal with this national tragedy and to provide the resources needed to help these affected families and communities rebuild physically and emotionally.

Many of the children and families most seriously impacted by the storm had already been among the most neglected and in need in our nation. Let us seize this opportunity to come together now and provide them with the basic necessities of life and, just as importantly, help them build a stronger foundation for their families and especially the future of their children.

Here are some facts about children in the affected states before Hurricane Katrina:1

Louisiana:
30% of children living in poverty; 63% of children under age 6 with parents in the workforce; 64% of children ages 3-5 years in child care or kindergarten; 14% of children are ages birth to 3 years old

Mississippi:
29% of children living in poverty: 67% of children with parents in the workforce; 58% of children ages 3-5 in child care or kindergarten; 14% of children are ages birth to 3 years old

Alabama:
24% of children living in poverty; 58% of children under age 6 with parents in the workforce; 53% of children ages 3-5 in child care or kindergarten; 14% of children are ages birth to 3 years old

Texas:
23% of children living in poverty; 56% of children under age 6 with parents in the workforce; 54% of children are ages 3-5 in child care or kindergarten; 15% of children are ages birth to 3 years old

As the government looks to meet the immediate health and shelter needs of those displaced by this tragedy, we urge you to address the ongoing health, mental health and child care needs of these families and their young children. For many months, families will deal with the trauma of losing their homes and sometimes family members, finding new places to live and finding new jobs. Meanwhile, their children will need immediate access to early childhood education programs, such as child care, Early Head Start and Head Start and other educational programs wherever they are living. Providers will need training and resources to help young children and their families deal with the trauma associated with Hurricane Katrina.

As you know, many of the federal programs that comprise the existing infrastructure of early care and education will be called upon to respond, and such programs are already strained due to cuts in services over the past few years. Before Hurricane Katrina, states lacked sufficient funds for S-CHIP and child care assistance. Many communities had inadequate funds to enroll all of the eligible children in Early Head Start and Head Start. They need immediate additional resources to adequately address the needs of thousands of displaced young children and to help train staff and work with families suffering emotionally from the range of traumas and uncertainties they will be experiencing for some time to come.
 
At the same time, just as the government will need to reconstruct roads, housing, hospitals, schools and other infrastructure, we must target additional resources to rebuild the facilities that served these young children and their families in the affected areas. Child care programs, Head Start centers, and other early childhood education providers have lost their facilities or sustained such severe damage that they cannot reopen without additional reconstruction funds.  

As a national organizations committed to meeting the needs of young children and their families, we have been deeply gratified to see the charitable response of the American people to this crisis. Yet voluntary organizations cannot bear this kind of burden. We urge you to make a substantial public investment as soon as possible in infants, toddlers, preschoolers and other young children and families that are necessary to overcome this national crisis.

Sincerely,

The Children’s Project
Children’s Defense Fund
National Association for the Education of Young Children
National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies
National Black Child Development Institute
National Head Start Association
National Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Association
National Women’s Law Center
Zero To Three

Cc: Senators Enzi and Senator Kennedy