ERIC ED353081: Investing in Children. Hearings before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, Second Session. Special Hearings.

267 Pages·1992·5.9 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 353 081
PS 021 082
TITLE
Investing in Children. Hearings before a Subcommittee
of the Committee on Appropriations, United States
Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, Second Session.
Special Hearings.
Congress of the U.S., Washington, D.C. Senate
INSTITUTION
Committee on Appropriations.
REPORT NO
ISBN-0-16-039551-8; Senate-Hrg-102-871
PUB DATE
92
NOTE
267p.
AVAILABLE FROM
U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of
Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC
20402 (Stock No. 552-070-136-69-0, $9.50).
PUB TYPE
Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials (090)
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PC11 Plus Postage.
Adolescents; *At Risk Persons; Children; Community
DESCRIPTORS
Services; Cooperative Planning; Delivery Systems;
Early Childhood Education; *Early Intervention;
*Educational Improvement; Elementary Secondary
Education; *Family Programs; *Federal Aid; Federal
Programs; Hearings; Public Policy; *Social Services;
State Programs
Congress 102nd
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
Hearings were conducted in Newark (New Jersey), Los
Angeles (California), Detroit (Michigan), and Atlanta (Georgia) to
elicit testimony concerning public investment in education and social
services for children and their families. At each of the four
hearings, an opening statement by Senator Tom Harkin was followed by
statements from individuals interested in children's education and
services. In the four hearings, oral and written testimony concerning
the aeed to improve and better fund education and social services for
children and their families was presented by nearly 50 senators,
representatives, mayors, educators, health care providers, religious
leaders, community leaders, and concerned individuals. (MDM)
***********************************************************************
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
***********************************************************************
S. HRG. 102-871
INVESTING IN CHILDREN
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Educations! Research and Improvement
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
)(This document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it
0 Minor changes have been made to improve
reproduction quality
HEARINGS
Points ot view or opinions stated in this docu-
ment do not necessarily represent official
OERI position or policy
BEFORE A
SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE
COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SECOND CONGRESS
1;4
SECOND SESSION
SPECIAL HEARINGS
Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 1992
59-960 ee
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Superintectlenl of Documents. Congressional Sales Office. Washington. DC 204(12
ISBN 0- 16.039551 -8
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
59-960 0
92
COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
ROBERT C. BYRD, West Virginia, Chairman
MARK 0. HATFIELD, Oregon
DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii
TED STEVENS, Alaska
ERNEST F. HOLLINGS, South Carolina
JAKE GARN, Utah
J. BENNE'TT JOHNSTON, Louisiana
THAD COCHRAN, Mississippi
QUENTIN N. BURDICK, North Dakota
ROBERT W. KASTEN, JR., Wisconsin
PATRICK J. LEAHY, Vermont
ALFONSE M. P'AMATO, New York
JIM SASSER, Tennessee
WARREN RUDMAN, New Hampshire
DENNIS DECONCINI, Arizona
ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania
DALE BUMPERS, Arkansas
PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico
FRANK it LAUTENBERG, New Jersey
DON NICKLES, Oklahoma
TOM HARKIN, Iowa
PHIL GRAMM, Texas
BARBARA A. MIKULSKI, Maryland
CHRISTOPHER S. BOND, Missouri
HARRY REID, Nevada
SLADE GORTON, Washington
BROCK ADAMS, Washington
WYCHE FOWLER, JR., Georgia
J. ROBERT KERREY, Nebraska
JAMES H. ENGUSII, Staff Director
MARY S. DEWALD, Chief Clerk
J. KEITH KENNEDY, Minority Staff Director
SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND
EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES
TOM HARKIN, Iowa, Chairman
ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania
ROBERT C. BYRD, West Virginia
MARK 0. HATFIELD, Oregon
ERNEST F. HOLLINGS, South Carolina
TED STEVENS, Mask'
QUENTIN N. BURDICK, North Dakota
WARREN RUDMAN, New Hampshire
DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii
THAD COCHRAN, Mississippi
DALE BUMPERS, Arkansas
PHIL GRAMM, Texas
HARRY REID, Nevada
SLADE GORTON, Washington
BROCK ADAMS, Washington
Majority Professional Staff
MARGARET
J. MICHAEL HALL, JAMES J. SOURWINE, CAROL C. MITCHELL, AMY SCHULTZ, and
STUART
Minority Professional Staff
CRAIG A. HIGGINS and BETTILou TAYLOR
Administrative Support
GLADYS CLEARWATERS and SUSAN A. McGOVERN
+-
a
CONTENTS
TUESDAY, MAY 26, 1992
NEWARK, NJ
Page
Opening remarks of Senator Harkin
1
4
Opening remarks of Senator Frank J. Lautenberg
7
Prepared statement
8
Statement of Mayor Sharpe James
4
13
Prepared statement
16
Statement of Hon. Donald M. Payne, U.S. Representative from New Jersey
19
Prepared statement
20
Band-Aid on poverty
Statement of Robert C. Winters, chairman and chief executive officer, Pruden-
24
tial Insurance Co. of America
27
Prepared statement
Statement of Dr. Linda Singletary, radiologist and Head Start graduate,
31
Brooklyn, NY
Statement of Michael Anthony Lawrence, II, Head Start graduate, Newark,
39
NJ
Statement of Willis Reed, senior vice president, basketball operations, New
40
Jersey Nets
Statement of Rev. Dr. James A. Scott, pastor, Bethany Baptist Church, New-
43
ark, NJ
45
Prepared statement
Statement of Dr. Kendell Sprott, associate medical director, Children's Hos-
52
pital, Newark, NJ
56
Stawment of Patricia Barrett, kindergarten teacher, Westfield, NJ
59
Prepared statement
60
Biographical sketch
Statement of Margaret H. McLeod, president, Association for Children of
61
New Jersey [ACNJI
64
Prepared statement
71
Statement of Bishop Gilmore, St. John Unified Freewill Baptist Church
MATERIAL SUBMITTED SUBSEQUENT TO CONCLUSION OF HEARING
Statement of Audrey Harris, executive director, Newark, Pre-School Council,
73
Inc
Statement of Eugene C. Campbell, executive superintendent, Newark Board
73
of Education, Newark, NJ
Statement of Mary Mathis-Ford, chairman, Board of Concerned Citizens of
75
the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
president, Newark Teachers
Union,
Statement of Carole
Graves,
A.
76
Newark, NJ
THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1992
LOS ANGELES, CA
79
Opening remarks of Senator Tom Harkin
83
Statement of Hon. Tom Bradley, mayor, Los Angeles, CA
87
Prepared statement
93
Statement of Hon. Julian C. Dixon, U.S. Representative from California
98
Prepared statement
,
IV
Page
Statement of Edward James Olmos, actor, Los Angeles, CA
104
Statement of Veronica Gutierrez, adolescent family life program graduate,
Los Angeles, CA
114
Prepared statement
124
Tiffany Fenderson, Head Start graduate, Los Angeles, CA
117
Statement of Christelene Ennis, Head Start graduate, Los Angeles, CA
117
Prepared statement
124
Statement of Dr. Shirley L. Fannin, director, disease control programs, Los
Angeles County Department of Health, Los Angeles, CA
125
Prepared statement
131
Statement of Dr. Carolyn Reid-Green, director, Drew Child Development Cen-
ter, Los Angeles, CA
136
Prepared statement
139
Statement of Jim Steyer, president, Children Now, Los Angeles, CA
141
Prepared statement
144
Statement of Eugene R. Wilson, president, the ARCO Foundation, Los Ange-
les, CA
146
Prepared statement
148
MONDAY, JUNE 29, 1992
DETROIT, MI
Opening remarks of Senator Harkin
159
Statement of Hon. Donald W. Riegle, U.S. Senator from Michigan
162
Statement
of
Barbara -lose
Hon.
Representative
Collins,
U.S.
from
Michigan
164
Prepared statement
166
Statement of Angela Collins, Lula Belle Stuart Center
170
Prepared statement
171
Statement of Richmond Taylor, Jr., sixth grade student, Remus Robinson
Middle School
172
Prepared statement
173
Statement of Kimberly Wilson, fourth grade student, Peterson-Warren Acad-
emy
174
Prepared statement.
174
Statement of Charles Boyer, vice president, Blue Cross & Blue Shield
180
Prepared statement
182
Statement of Wilhelmina Jennings, executive administrator, Institute of Ma-
ternal and Child Health, Wayne State University
183
Prepared statement
185
Statement of Terri Wright, director, Child and Family Services Bureau,
Michigan Department of Public Health
186
Statement of Augustine Jones, retired teacher, Louis Pasteur Elementary
School
192
Statement of Michele Strasz, chair, Michigan Coalition for Children and
Families
195
Prepared statement
197
THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1992
ATLANTA, GA
Opening remarks of Senator Harkin
203
Statement of Senator Wyche Fowler
203
Statement of Coretta Scott King, founding president and chief executive
officer, Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change,
Atlanta, GA
207
Prepared statement
209
Statement of Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, president, Southern Christian Lead-
ership Conference
210
Prepared statement
212
Statement of Evander Holyfield, undefeated heavyweight boxing champion,
Atlanta, GA
217
Statement of Debbie Lackey, teen parent, Tenn Services of Atlanta, Teen
Parent Program, Atlanta, GA
226
Prepared statement
226
V
Page
227
Statement of Almeda Ringer, Head Start graduate, Atlanta, GA
227
Statement of D'Anthony Reaves, Head Start graduate, Atlanta, GA
children's issues,
Statement of Dr. Judson L. Hawk, Jr., senior advisor for
232
the Atlanta Project, Carter Presidential Center
Fulton County
Statement of Dr. William R. Elsea, commissioner of health,
235
Health Department, Atlanta, GA
239
Prepared statement
Families First,
Statement of Mary Frances Williams, director of Advocacy,
242
Atlanta, GA
244
Prepared statement
affairs,
Statement of Dwight Evans, executive vice president for external
247
Georgia Power Co., Atlanta, GA
248
Prepared statement
Benteen Elemen-
Statement of Hortense Linsey, elementary school teacher,
250
tary School, Atlanta, GA
252
Prepared statement
Service Register,
Statement of Leonard Davis, Sr., White Workers Referral
261
Atlanta, GA
INVESTING IN CHILDREN-STATE OF
CHILDREN IN NEWARK, NJ
TUESDAY, MAY 26, 1992
U.S. SENATE,
SUBCOMMITTEE ON LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES,
COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS,
Newark, NJ.
The subcommittee met at 10:30 a.m., at St. John Unified
Freewill Baptist Church, Newark, NJ, Hon. Tom Harkin (chair-
man) presiding.
Present: Senators Harkin and Lautenberg.
NONDEPARTMENTAL WITNESSES
STATEMENT OF SHARPE JAMES, MAYOR, NEWARK, NJ
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR HARKIN
Senator HARKIN. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
on
Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, will
come to
order.
First, I want to express my appreciation to Mayor Sharpe James,
Congressman Donald. Payne, and all the other witnesses who have
taken time out of their busy schedules to examine the state of chil-
dren in Newark.
I also want to thank Bishop Gilmore of the St. John Unified
Freewill Baptist Church for letting us meet here this morning.
I want to thank my colleague and good friend, Senator Frank
Lautenberg, for his leadership in addressing
our human needs in
this country.
Senator Lautenberg and I both serve on the Appropriations Corn-
mittee. He chairs an important subcommittee, and
so do I. And to-
gether we address the real needs of our cities in this country.
Senato Lautenberg, chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee
on
Transportation, which funds what I call our physical infrastruc-
ture.
chair the subcommitte meeting here todayon Labor,
I
Health, Human Services, and Education which funds
our human
infrastructure. Between the two subcommittees
we address the
problems of the human infrastructure and the physical infrastruc-
ture in America. That is one reason we work
so closely together.
Earlier this month I began a series of hearings which will
con-
tinue into next month focusing on the
consequences of our failure
to invest in human beings. We have heard from Mayors David
Dinkins of New York, Norm Rice of Seattle, and Michael White of
( I)
tiM
2
Cleveland. Today, we will hear from Mayor Sharpe James, and 2
days from now we will be in Los Angeles to hear from Mayor Brad-
ley. The message I have heard from every mayor I have spoken to
was this: Los Angeles could have happened anywhere, in any one
of our cities. Los Angeles was a national wake-up call, and we can-
not afford to hit the snooze bar and roll over and go back to sleep.
In the aftermath of the riots, the President's spokesmen blamed
the Great Society. Then, last week, Vice President Quayle tied
Murphy Brown to the decline of our family values. While we may
differ over who is to blame, we should be able to agree on who suf-
fers the most from the problems of urban America and our Nation's
familiesand that is our children.
The hearing today and the ones we have had in Washington and
the ones we will be having around the country are meant to focus
on the need to invest in children's programs and what are the con-
sequences of our failure to do so.
The statistics tell a story as chilling as the images of wanton vio-
lence and burned-out buildings in Los Angeles. One out of every
five children live in poverty in America-100,000 children die each
year because of it. In New Jersey alone, if you made a city of all
the poor children under the age of 18, it would be the largest city
in the State, even bigger than Newark. I got that from Mayor
1
James' testimony. I hope you do not mind me stealing a little bit
of your testimony.
In Newark alone 40 percent of the children under the age of five
live in poverty; more than one of every 10 children born are low
birthweight babies, more than twice the national average. One in
every seven children has no health insurance. One in every six chil-
dren is expe-'-gcl to suffer the ill effects of lead poisoning. And those
are just a few of the grim statistics.
We can document the cost of poverty borne by our children: More
hunger, more low birthweight babies, more infant deaths, and more
child disabilities. Too often we forget we all pay the long-term
costs: More crime, more violence, higher drop-out rates, more un-
employment, higher welfare costs, and lower economic productivity.
We are not here today just to describe the problem. We are here
to end it. But to do so, we need to understand what got us here
in the first place.
Over the last 11 years, Federal spending on domestic discre-
tionary programseducation, health care, job training and human
services, and children's programshas been cut by $395 billion.
Please look at this chart.
3
CBO Baseline
Cumulative Real Increase or Decrease to
Dollars)
Fiscal Years 1981-1991, (Outlays in Billions of
800
700 -
00
GOO
400
300
200
100
0
-100
-200
-300
-400
-500
DOMESTIC
MTERM010MAL
CATEKSE
IDITITCBANTS
IISORETIOKARY
3fAL - AP.1.12
Sass Gmgro....1 &at* OffeA
How the U.S. Compares to Other Countries
U.S. RANK
1
Gross National Product
19
Infant Mortality
19
Childhood Deaths Under Age 5
29
Low-Weight Births
17
Polio Immunizations at Age 1
Congressional Budget Office. If
These two charts are from the
columns
side of the first chart, the two black
you look to the left
On the left $776 billion
symbolize the increases from 1981 to 1991.
4
in entitlement. That is Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security. Next
to
that, $624 billion in military spending. On the right is what
we
spend, we lost $11 billion in foreign aid but in domestic discre-
tionary programs, Head Start, immunizations, WIC
programs, ma-
ternal and child health care, all of these
programs, we are down
$395 billion in the same period of time. That tells the
story right
there.
The next chart displays how we
compare to other countries. In
gross national product we are No. 1. We are the richest country on
the face of the Earth. But in infant mortality
we are 19th, in child-
hood deaths under 5 years old we are 19th, in low-weight births
we are 29th, in polio immunization at age one we are 17. That sort
of begs the question, Mayor James and Congressman Payne, if
we
are so rich how come we are so poor? Let me say it again: If we
are so rich, how come we are so poor? I think this is the real ques-
tion that we have to answer.
Investments in children and all these programsHead Start, im-
munization, preventive health care, child nutritionhave not kept
pace with the need. What has happened to America's young fami-
lies with children, I believe, is a national disgrace. The median in-
come for young families with children adjusted for inflation went
down one-third between the early 1970's and 1990. As
a result,
poverty among young families Inure than doubled.
We know what works. We have a track record. We know that $1
invested in prenatal care saves
up to $3.30. A dollar invested in
WIC saves $3.13. Yet 40 percent of the eli,:ale children in Newark
were not served by WIC programs. A dollar invested in immuniza-
tion saves $10 in treatment cost. Yet 30 percent of
our children
under age 2 are not fully immunized. A dollar invested in Head
Start saves between $2.50 and $6 in special education, reliance
on
public assistance, and crime costs. And, yet, I think, only about
one-half of the eligible children in Newark
are being served by
Head Start today.
So the message is clear: We can either invest
money on the front
side of life and prevent problems and help children develop
or we
can spend a lot more money later on the back side of life to help
patch and fix problems after they develop.
I hope today's hearings and the one next Thursday in Los Ange-
les and the ones I will be having, hopefully, in Detroit and Atlanta
will make the case that we can no longer afford
a policy of dis-
investment in our people and in our kids. A policy that ignores the
needs of our children and the needs of the people of
our Nation.
I want to thank you all for agreeing to participate in today's
hearing and I thank you all for being here. I
can think of nothing
more important to the future of this country than the need to in-
vest in our kids. And that is what this committee and subcommit-
tee is about.
At this point I would like to yield to my colleague, Senator Lau-
tenberg, and any opening statement he might have.
OPENING REMARKS OF SENATOR FRANK J. LAUTENI3ERG
Senator LAIJTENBERG. Thank you very much, Senator Harkin.
Senator Harkin mentioned that we both chaired subcommittees
on Appropriations, significant subcommittees. My subcommittee