This article originally appeared in the July-August 2001 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children.

On Grandparent's Day, September 9, elder activists and children's advocates in Los Angeles will join together to kick off a three-month outreach campaign to sign up more seniors and more kids for free or low-cost health insurance. The effort is part of a national alliance of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) to promote health care for all, says Jay Sternberg of the AARP.

In Washington, the AARP has joined a steering committee of organizations promoting the CDF's comprehensive Leave No Child Behind bill. Sternberg says in the last few years, advocacy for children has become a larger part of AARP's efforts.

Why? The AARP is "the world's largest organization of grandparents," says California AARP lobbyist Pat Luby. In particular, Sternberg points out, many more grandparents are now the primary caregivers of their grandchildren. "It's a general principle of the AARP that everyone should have access to health care," Luby adds. And since many seniors as well as children are missing out on health benefits, joint outreach benefits both.

Meanwhile, Generations United (GU), a national coalition of children's and seniors' advocates, includes expansion of after-school programs and a refundable child tax credit in its five top legislative priorities (see Generations United Public Policy Agenda). And GU provides resources to help people start similar coalitions at the state level.

Health Focus
Health care for all children is the focus for many senior activists, like Pasadena retiree Irving Rector. He got involved through the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, "reaching out to uninsured children in the neighborhood of the church."

Now he keeps informed about state legislative efforts for kids by receiving action alerts from Children Now. As a member of the Pasadena Health Access Task Force, his role is "to advise them about pending legislation."

Online Activism
"The way I advocate is sitting down with a computer and modem," Rector says. Gerda Miller, a retired early childhood educator in Oakland, had a stroke last year and is paralyzed on one side. She says, "I work with the computer nearly all day. It's where I get my information." She uses e-mail to lobby legislators and rally support for legislation—now she's pushing Sen. Barbara Boxer's bill for universal preschool for four-year-olds.

Retired Teachers
Retired teacher Ruth Alltucker-Shepherd, who founded Oregon's Generations Together, is one of many retired educators and child care professionals who continue advocating for kids, as individuals or through retirees' groups in teachers' unions. "I've maintained a whole lot of political contacts which I've nurtured for 30 years," Shepherd says.

In neighboring Washington, retired early childhood educator Rachel Levine, like many seniors, serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children in foster care. And, she says, "we do quite a lot of work with local legislators to make sure we don't lose money for CASA."

Win-Win Coalitions
Both Alltucker-Shepherd and Levine work in state coalitions that unite advocates for a range of social services. Instead of fighting each other for funds, says Shepherd, "we're committed to making the pie bigger. Now we're campaigning for children's health clinics to be funded at the same level as in the past—a dozen are likely to be wiped out if they keep cutting the budget." California AARP lobbyist Luby acknowledges that "there are some older people who don't want to pay taxes to support children's services," but he adds, "part of our obligation is to educate our own members—this is a very small boat and we're all in it together." The Children's Advocate offers more information on the Children's Defense Fund's Leave No Child Behind bill. For more information on grandparents advocating for kids, read "Rabble-rousing Grandparents" in the Children's Advocate.

Resources

• American Association of Retired People: 800-424-3410; California legislative office, 916-446-2277
• Generations United:202-638-1263

Jean Tepperman is editor of the Children's Advocate.