Latest news: Sens. Dodd, Kennedy, Stabenow and Reps. Miller, Kildee and Yarmuth call for White House Office on Children and Youth

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Far too few of our nation’s young people are ready for college, work and life. Just 4 in 10 youth are in school or working, healthy, and connected to their community, according to research cited by the Forum for Youth Investment and the Campaign for a White House Office on Children and Youth.

Approximately 30 percent of high school students do not graduate on time. For African American and Hispanic students, on-time graduation is a 50-50 proposition. Employers report that 4 in 10 high school students lack the skills needed for work.

The Federal government runs hundreds of programs to serve children and youth ages 0 to 24, spread across 12 departments and agencies. The vast majority of these efforts are essential and effective; however, they are not part of an integrated, strategic plan to help at-risk populations achieve successful adulthood.

Overall, the federal government’s efforts for children and youth are scattershot and these fragmented efforts, contained within narrow silos, are failing America’s young people. Furthermore, few of the efforts designed to help young people have been designed with clear input from the young people the programs serve. America needs leadership which transcends silos, believes in youth voices, and provides a clear vision for success for all federal efforts supporting children and youth.

Why it matters, a family's eye-view:

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The Solution: A White House Office on Children and Youth

Advocates are calling for a central oversight body to streamline and coordinate funds and services, making them more efficient.

The Campaign for a White House Office on Children and Youth is a collaboration of more than 90 national organizations, more than 300 state and local organizations and more than a thousand individuals calling on President Obama and Congress to provide coordinated leadership and vision across departments and agencies. The White House Office would also develop and oversee the cross-agency implementation of a National Youth Strategy laying out the child and youth well-being results our nation must achieve and the reforms necessary to succeed, as well as provide young people a voice in the policies that impact them directly.

Learn More

• The Campaign site lists the members and has news, background and action alerts.
• Change.gov, the President's site, has a section on the White House Office on Children and Youth.