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October 7, 1992...The Portland Observer...Page 3
Children First Releases Report Card On
Status Of Children, Overall Grade Is C-
C hildren F irst fo r Oregon, the
state’ s ch ild advocacy organization,
released its first annual Report Card on
the Status o f Oregon’ s Children today.
The overall grade was a C-.
The group rated five broad catego
ries and a total o f fourteen specific ch ild
status indicators. The categories and
grades were:
• Safety
C
(child abuse, violent crim e)
• Investing In Families D
(child poverty, child support,
health uninsured)
• Early Childhood
C
+
(child care, infant mortality, low
birthweight)
• Teen Years
D
(teen pregnancy/birth, drug/al-
cohol/tobacco use, arrests/in-
carceration, and suicide h om i
cide)
• Education
C
(school drop-out, acadcm ic per
formance)
Carol Metzler, Children First Presi
dent from Eugene, stated, “ This Report
Card sounds an alarm that should m o ti
vate each o f us to action. Whether the
issue is ch ild poverty, ch ild care, child
abuse, or teen births we arc not valuing
our children. Oregon’ s economic, so
cial and political future depends on the
well-being o f our children and fa m i
lies.”
M etzler added, “ Thousands o f Re
port Cards w ill be distributed across the
state to increase public awareness and
galvanize citizen action. Prior to the
November election, it w ill include a
postcard aimed at candidates fo r public
office. It asks the candidate to m ail
back a copy o f their children’s plat
form . As voters, we need to know what
a candidate w ill do, i f elected, to im
p ro v e the status o f O re g o n ’ s
children.’’She continued, “ The Report
Card w ill be a focal point for N o\ ember
regional meetings where citizens w ill
help Children First develop an action
agenda for the 1993 session o f the O r
egon legislature.”
Leticia Maldonado, a Children First
Board member from Beaverton, stated,
“ Action is needed on all levels ami the
Oregon legislature is one part o f the
solution. In the upcoming session, C h il
dren First w ill focus on two thine s: (1)_
the need for a C hildren’s Impact State
ment to evaluate the effect o f bud ret
proposals and child-related legislation
on children and fam ilies, and (2) the
proposed state budget’ s impact on c h il
dren. We w ill call on the legislature to
embrace and implement this agenda to
benefit all children and fam ilies ”
The Report Card found that:
C hild abuse occurs at an alarming
rate in Oregon, w ith reports increasing
by 41% since 1984.
15 o f all children live in poverty, an
increase o f 27% since 1980. 45% o f
children livin g in fam ilies headed by a
single woman arc poor.
The supply o f child care spaces
falls dramatically short o f the need,
creating a statewide supply gapol'86,( X X)
spaces.
In 1990 only 17% o f child support
due children was actually collected,
resulting in nearly $400,000,000 un
paid.
Teen birth rates continue to sky
rocket, w ith an increase o f 33'. since
1985.
I f current trends continue, one-
quarter o f this year’ s 9th graders w ill
drop-out before their class graduates in
1996. There were some positive signs,
also. Rates o f infant m ortality and low
birthw eight babies are coming down,
and the some is true for drug alcohol
and tobacco use.
The Report Card found that major
ethnic groups are disproportionately rep-
re? nied in these figures fo r example:
Although infant m ortality is decreas
ing overall, the 1990 African-Am erican
rate was 88% higher than fo r whites.
Chi ldren o f color are twice as lik e ly
to be growing up in poverty as are white
children.
The drop-out rate fo r Hispanic stu
dents i s more than double that o f whites,
meaning that 60% o f this year’s H is
panic ‘>th graders w ill not graduate w ith
their classmates.
M etzler added, “ Government ac
tion is only one part o f the answer.
Children First affirm s the role o f the
fam ily as the prim ary source o f support
lo r children and is dedicated to strength
ening the fam ily u n it-in a llo fils c u rre n t
shapes and sizes.”
She called on Oregonians to d i
sease the time and e ffo rt they devote to
children. Examples cited were encour
aging a c h ild ’ s love fo r reading and
academic success, volunteering at a
neighborhood school, or attending pa
renting class so that Oregon’ s children
achieve in school and are prepared to
succeed in life.
Portland area businessman al Jubitz,
ow nerofJubitzTruckStop,added,“ This
Report Card challenges employers to
exam
how our companies are meet
ing the needs o f workers who are par
ents. We need workplaces that are more
fa m ily-friendly. I f Oregon’s economic
future is to grow and succeed a ll o f us
must invest in children and strengthen
lam ilics - now .”
Copies o f the Report Card are avail
able by calling Children First tool-free
statewide at 800-544-0376 or w riting
Children First for Oregon, P.O. Box
'3519, Portland, Or. 97281.
Zoo Boo Darkens The Night
a little boy named Bobby, a T V /ju nk
food junkie, who has stayed up too late
eaten far too much junk food and ha
watched way too much television. Train
riders fo llo w Bobby’ s dreams as he
flips from channel to channel, watch in
horror movies, even more horrible T V
commercials, and television favorites
such as game shows and interviews by
talk show hosts.
But the train ride is only part o f the
action. Zoo volunteers have organized
activities fo r visitors waiting their turn
on the train. Classic horror film s, Hal
loween stories, (m is)fortunc tcllin g an < 1
learning “ W h a t’ s So Scary” about
snakes, spiders, ow ls and other animai
nobody likes w ill take place in the zo
entrance area.
Because the train ride is not recom -
mended for children age five and under,
little ones can also participate in Hal
loween and animal games, make masks,
and listen to librarians and story tellers
read children’ s Halloween tales.
Three videos which set the stage
the event’ s story line w ill showcase
some o f the newest innovations in tele-
Portland beware! Ghosts, goblins
and grotesque creatures w ill soon be
haunting the West H ills. Come October
14, things that go bump in the night w ill
begin scaring the w its out o f visitors to
the Metro Washington Park Z oo’ s Bank
o f Am erica ZooBoo.
In addition to Bank o f Am erica and
K IN K FM 102, ZooBoo is made pos
sible by hundreds o f volunteers, many
o f whom are members o f the Oregon
Media Production Association. O M P A
members and friends have joined to
make ZooBoo the premiere Halloween
event in the region.
Bank o f Am erica ZooBoo features
a frig h tfu l ride on the zoo’ s train, which
travels along a perilous one-m ile route
teeming w ith scary theater sets, unex
pected special effects and monstrous
actors te rrifying unsuspecting visitors.
Z00 staff and volunteers, and profes
sionals from Portland’ s theater, televi
sion and m otion picture industries have
joined together to create the event, titled
“ Media Nightmare.”
“ M e d ia N ig h tm a re ” re v o lv e s
around the dreams (i.e. - nightmares) o f
For Best Results
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A long T he C olor L ine ”
Rich Schools VS. Poor Schools
by
D r . M anning M arable
Four years ago, George Bush prom -
seven largest urban school districts spend
Why has the Bush adm inistration
ised the american people that he would
about $5,200 per pupil, which is nearly
done little to close the fiscal disparity
become “ the education president.”
one thousand dollars less than suburban
between struggling urban schools w ith
Bush’ s Education Secretary Lam ar
schools spend per student. But what’ s > deteriorating tax bases, and the c o m fo rt
Alexander likes to boast the U .S. spends
even more significant than the d iffe r
able suburban schools, which draw their
a “ significant” amount o f its national
ence in funding levels, is how these
students from the m iddle and upper
wealth on public school. Yet in reality,
monies are allocated and the racial and
classes? There’ s no question that race is
for twelve years the Reagan-Bush ad
class profile o f the students who are
a major reason fo r these differences.
m in istratio ns have waged w arfare
being served.
Less than one in four students who cur
against the promise o f educational
These forty seven large urban school
rently attend large urban school districts
equality. The c h ie f casualties in this
systems are all located in cities w ith
are white. The fo rty seven largest c ity
assault against public schools are m i- * more than 250,000 people. These school
schools only educate five percent o f the
norities and the poor.
systems have disproportionately large
country’s white children. Perhaps this is
First, let’s separate Bush’ s educa
populations o f color, and many students
the reason that Bush can ignore the fact
tional polemics from actual programs.
w ith special needs. These schools are * that less than 40 percent o f urban stu
According to a recent report o f the
responsible fo r only 13 percent o f the
dents who now enter ju n io r year have
Paris-based Organization for Economic
nation’s total school enrollment, but
passed basic algebra. I f one’s racial p o li
Cooperation and Development, U.S.
they have 32 percent o f all Latino c h il
tics include W illie Horton and bashing
spending for education lags behind the
dren and 37 percent o f a ll A frican-
affirm ative action, it is not surprising
m ajority o f western industrial nations.
Am erican students. They also have 25
that the Bush agenda is “ color b lind” to
Out o f twenty industrial countries, the
percent o f all children liv in g below the
the educational difficulties o f the inner
U.S. ranks o n ly T hirte en th in its
federal government’ s poverty line, and
city.
pcrcapita public spending for educa
32 percent o f a ll students w ith lim ited
Education is one o f the few bridges
tion. smaller countries like the Nether
English ability. Such schools must si
which exists that can help to lead people
lands, Norway, and Denmark invest far
phon greater funds for health services,
from poverty, homelessness and i l l i t
more in their schools than we do. C h il
instruction in the English language, and
eracy to the promise o f a better life. We
dren in Japan attend school nearly sixty
remedial educational programs than
need to broaden that bridge w ith massive
more days each year than their A m e ri
suburban schools. Less money is left
federal initiatives, which can improve
can counterparts, and score much higher
over fo r teachers’ salaries, textbooks,
the quality o f ghetto schools, giving
than American young people at a ll ages
libraries, new equipment, and comput
m illions o f Black, Latino, and Asian-
in math and science. Japanese schools
ers.
american youth a better chance fo r op
have a dropout rate o f only 10 percent,
By contrast suburban schools not
portunity and equality.
compared to 27 percent in the U.S.
only have more money to spend, but
Dr. Manning Marable is Professor
The deepest chasm o f educational
they are able to allocate their resources
o f Political Science and H istory at the
inequality separates Am erica’s largest
more generously on the tools which
U n iv e rs ity o f C o lo ra d o -B o u n ld e r.
urban school systems from the more
make learning possible. They spend
“ Along the C olorLine” appears in over
privileged, e litist schools in the sub
$506 per student more than large city
250 publications, and is broadcast by
urbs. According to a recent study by the
schools on classroom instruction, and
more than 60 radio stations internation
Council o f Great C ity Schools, the forty
especially on books and reference works.
ally.
Creed Of The Black Press
The Black Press believes that America can best lead the w orld away from racial
and national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless o f race,
color or creed, fu ll human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person,
the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm b elief that all are hurt
as long as anyone is held back.
Don't forget to
Register to VOTE!
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management corporation
Public Notice
Wigs and Beauty Supplies
S a v a w Î
Key M ultnom ah C ounty indica
tors o f the need for im proved preven
tive health services are:
A significant percentage o f M u lt
nomah County children have rotten or
disintegrating teeth, also referred to as
dental caries. 95% are caries free at age
6 but by age 18, 82% o f children have
caries in their permanent teeth.
A large number o f children are
riding unrestrained in autom obiles or
are improperly restrained. O n ly 28% o f
infants under one year old are properly
restrained.
A t present Oregon rates, one o f
every twenty-six babies bom this year
w ill be hospitalized or k ille d by age 18
due to automobile, m otorcycle, and
bicycle-related injuries.
12 o f every 1000 Oregon children
are affected by child abuse.
The theme o f C hild Health W eek is
“ For Kids Sake” and is intended to
provide a focus fo r preventive health
care services provided year round by
the County Health Department.
braiding and weaving
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tecting children in the home.
The Southeast Health Center w ill
hold a C hildren’ s Health fa ir on Octo
ber 7. A prim ary focus o f C hild Health
Week w ill be to emphasize the need for
im m unizing preschool children. Im m u
nization rates are significantly lower in
the U.S. than in most developed coun
tries. According to the National Vac
cine Advisory Committee, the U.S po
lio imm unization rate ranked 15th in
ternationally and 49th when the U.S.
nonwhite population immunization rate
was compared w ith nations’ overall
rates. In M ultnom ah County, Health
Department data indicates that only
55% o f the C ounty’ s children under two
years old have been immunized.
Other indicators o f the state o f
children’s health include injuries and
death due to accidents, incidence o f
poisonings, bums, and the noticeable
increase in deaths due to house fires.
Indicators w ould also include child
abuse and communicable disease re
ports.
. a N-. .
•
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In conjunction w ith the U.S. Con
gress’ declaration o f C hild Health Day
on October 5, The Multnomah County
Board o f Commissioners w ill proclaim
the week o f October 5-9 “ C hild Health
Week.” The purpose o f this proclama
tion, according to B illi Odegaard, D i
rector o f the C ounty’ s Health Depart
ment, “ is to raise public awareness o f
the need for preventive health care and
inform parents about specific things
they can do to protect their children
from injury, disease, and death.”
In M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty , C h ild
Health Week A ctivitie s w ill target par
ents o f young children to promote im
munizations, w ell child exams, use o f
child safety seats and seat belts, health
screenings, nutrition, and home safety.
Educational materials w ill be d istrib
uted and special events have been sched
uled at M ultnom ah C ounty’ s prim ary
care clinics to disseminate inform ation
on these topics. The Northeast Health
Center has scheduled a noontime pre
sentation addressing safety and pro-
;.
Clean, well maintained 2.
J
vision and m otion picture special ef
fects. The videos, produced by mem
b ers and associates o f O M P A , w ill fea
ture sound and video effects such as
C lay mation and morphing. M orphing is
a new technique com bining a series o f
i oinputer blended images, which when
played at normal film speeds, simulates
one im age tu rn in g in to a no the r.
Portland’s own Tom Peterson w ill be
featured in one o f the m orphing scenes.
Bank o f America ZooBoo runs from
( k to b e r 14 to November 1. Gates open
at 6p.m. and close at 9:45 p.m. Sundays
through Thursdays and 10:45 p.m. F ri
days and Saturdays. Tickets are $5 for
adults age 12 to 64, and S3 fo r children
age three to 11 and for seniors age 64
and over. Because the train ride is not
recommended for children age five and
under, tickets fo r the front entrance
plaza activities o nly are $2 for adults
and $1 for children and seniors.
Tickets can be purchased in ad
vance w ith an additional 50c fee at any
G.I. Joe’ s Ticketmaster outlets and at
the zoo beginn ing October 1. No Phone
orders w ill be taken.
Multnomah County Commissioners
Proclaim Chilo Health Week
toi I N6 MLK
288-3233
707 N.E. Fremont
Portland, Oregon 97212
(503) 281-6525
Open: 11:30 - 6:00 Tues thru Saturday
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